In order to reveal the mechanisms of learning and memory it is essential to have information about the way synaptic inputs are integrated and processed in a neuron, especially at the dendritic level. Recently, optical techniques have been developed which can measure changes in membrane potential and intracellular calcium simultaneously from many locations, including fine dendritic processes. This project will use these new techniques to examine electrical events in Purkinje cells in slices from the guinea pig cerebellum. In particular, experiments will be performed to look at a) the spatial and temporal characteristics of climbing fiber and granule cell neuronal contacts with Purkinje cell neurons, and b) the interaction of the different interneuronal contacts with each other. A computer model of the Purkinje cell will also be developed which can be used to help interpret the optical data.
