Synaptic connections of Purkinje cell axons with nucleocortical neurones in the cerebellar medial nucleus of the rat.
The cerebellar nucleocortical neurones may be part of a cortico-nucleocortical loop. It has not yet been demonstrated, however, whether they are directly afferented by Purkinje cell axons. This question has been addressed by using electron microscopic methods. WGA-HRP injections into the cerebellar vermis anterogradely labelled Purkinje cell terminals and retrogradely labelled nucleocortical neurones of the nucleus medialis. Postembedding GABA immunolabelling was used to double-labelled PC terminals and identified the GABA-immunoreactive nuclear neurones. Of the identified nucleocortical neurones, the majority were immunonegative, but a few were GABA-immunoreactive. Both types were in synaptic contact with identified Purkinje cell terminals.
Angaut
P
P
INSERM U-106, Hôpital de la Salpêtrière, Paris, France.
Compoint
C
C
Buisseret-Delmas
C
C
Batini
C
C
D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D009474:Neurons / Q000648:ultrastructure; D017729:Presynaptic Terminals / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley