Spontaneous activity and functional connectivity in the developing cerebellorubral system

Carlos Del Rio-Bermudez; Alan M Plumeau; Nicholas J Sattler; Greta Sokoloff; Mark S Blumberg

doi:10.1152/jn.00461.2016

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Spontaneous activity and functional connectivity in the developing cerebellorubral system

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Spontaneous activity and functional connectivity in the developing cerebellorubral system

Carlos Del Rio-Bermudez, Alan M Plumeau, Nicholas J Sattler, Greta Sokoloff and Mark S Blumberg

Journal of neurophysiology, Vol.116(3), pp.1316-1327

09/01/2016

DOI: 10.1152/jn.00461.2016

PMCID: PMC5023414

PMID: 27385801

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Abstract

The development of the cerebellar system depends in part on the emergence of functional connectivity in its input and output pathways. Characterization of spontaneous activity within these pathways provides insight into their functional status in early development. In the present study we recorded extracellular activity from the interpositus nucleus (IP) and its primary downstream target, the red nucleus (RN), in unanesthetized rats at postnatal days 8 (P8) and P12, a period of dramatic change in cerebellar circuitry. The two structures exhibited state-dependent activity patterns and age-related changes in rhythmicity and overall firing rate. Importantly, sensory feedback (i.e., reafference) from myoclonic twitches (spontaneous, self-generated movements that are produced exclusively during active sleep) drove neural activity in the IP and RN at both ages. Additionally, anatomic tracing confirmed the presence of cerebellorubral connections as early as P8. Finally, inactivation of the IP and adjacent nuclei using the GABAA receptor agonist muscimol caused a substantial decrease in neural activity in the contralateral RN at both ages, as well as the disappearance of rhythmicity; twitch-related activity in the RN, however, was preserved after IP inactivation, indicating that twitch-related reafference activates the two structures in parallel. Overall, the present findings point to the contributions of sleep-related spontaneous activity to the development of cerebellar networks.

Muscimol - pharmacology

Neural Pathways - drug effects

Cerebellum - drug effects

Red Nucleus - physiology

Male

Neurons - cytology

Cerebellum - physiology

Neural Pathways - physiology

Movement - physiology

GABA-A Receptor Agonists - pharmacology

Neurons - physiology

Female

Electromyography

Neurons - drug effects

Action Potentials - drug effects

Microelectrodes

Movement - drug effects

Neural Pathways - growth & development

Periodicity

Rats, Sprague-Dawley

Action Potentials - physiology

Red Nucleus - cytology

Red Nucleus - growth & development

Animals

Red Nucleus - drug effects

Cerebellum - cytology

Neural Pathways - cytology

Cerebellum - growth & development

Receptors, GABA-A - metabolism

Details

Title: Subtitle: Spontaneous activity and functional connectivity in the developing cerebellorubral system
Creators: Carlos Del Rio-Bermudez - Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
Alan M Plumeau - Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
Nicholas J Sattler - Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
Greta Sokoloff - Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa; DeLTA Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
Mark S Blumberg - Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa; Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Neuroscience, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa; Department of Biology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa; and DeLTA Center, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa mark-blumberg@uiowa.edu
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Journal of neurophysiology, Vol.116(3), pp.1316-1327
DOI: 10.1152/jn.00461.2016
PMID: 27385801
PMCID: PMC5023414
NLM abbreviation: J Neurophysiol
ISSN: 0022-3077
eISSN: 1522-1598
Publisher: United States
Grant note: R01 HD063071 / NICHD NIH HHS R37 HD081168 / NICHD NIH HHS
Language: English
Date published: 09/01/2016
Academic Unit: Psychological and Brain Sciences; Iowa Neuroscience Institute; Biology
Record Identifier: 9984002348402771

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