title: Cerebellar control of cortico-striatal LTD.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Recent anatomical studies showed the presence of cerebellar and basal ganglia connections. It is thus conceivable that the cerebellum may influence the striatal synaptic transmission in general, and synaptic plasticity in particular.
  
  
  METHODS
  In the present neurophysiological investigation in brain slices, we studied striatal long-term depression (LTD), a crucial form of synaptic plasticity involved in motor learning after cerebellar lesions in rats.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Striatal LTD was fully abolished in the left striatum of rats with right hemicerebellectomy recorded 3 and 7 days following surgery, when the motor deficits were at their peak. Fifteen days after the hemicerebellectomy, rats had partially compensated their motor deficits and high-frequency stimulation of excitatory synapses in the left striatum was able to induce a stable LTD. Striatal plasticity was conversely normal ipsilaterally to cerebellar lesions, as well as in the right and left striatum of sham-operated animals.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data show that the cerebellum controls striatal synaptic plasticity, supporting the notion that the two structures operate in conjunction during motor learning.
authors.affiliation: Clinica Neurologica, Dipartimento di Neuroscienze, Università Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.forename: Giorgia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mataluni
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: De Bartolo
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Prosperetti
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Foti
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: De Chiara
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Musella
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mandolesi
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bernardi
authors.forename: Diego
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Centonze
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Petrosini
mesh_terms: D018750:6-Cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000502:physiology* / Q000601:surgery; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000502:physiology*; D016291:Dizocilpine Maleate / Q000494:pharmacology; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D007839:Functional Laterality / Q000502:physiology; D038421:Hemispherectomy / Q000379:methods; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D036881:Long-Term Synaptic Depression / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology; D009069:Movement Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D009435:Synaptic Transmission / Q000187:drug effects; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; D016291:Dizocilpine Maleate; D018750:6-Cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione