title: Prolonging the postcomplex spike pause speeds eyeblink conditioning.
abstract: Climbing fiber input to the cerebellum is believed to serve as a teaching signal during associative, cerebellum-dependent forms of motor learning. However, it is not understood how this neural pathway coordinates changes in cerebellar circuitry during learning. Here, we use pharmacological manipulations to prolong the postcomplex spike pause, a component of the climbing fiber signal in Purkinje neurons, and show that these manipulations enhance the rate of learning in classical eyelid conditioning. Our findings elucidate an unappreciated aspect of the climbing fiber teaching signal, and are consistent with a model in which convergent postcomplex spike pauses drive learning-related plasticity in the deep cerebellar nucleus. They also suggest a physiological mechanism that could modulate motor learning rates.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine and Integrative Center for Learning and Memory, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA.
authors.forename: Jaione
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Maiz
authors.forename: Movses H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Karakossian
authors.forename: Narawut
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pakaprot
authors.forename: Karla
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Robleto
authors.forename: Richard F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: Thomas S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Otis
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001562:Benzimidazoles / Q000494:pharmacology; D001767:Blinking / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D002120:Calcium Channel Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D002317:Cardiovascular Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D002529:Cerebellar Nuclei / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D003215:Conditioning, Eyelid / Q000502:physiology*; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D019706:Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D018756:GABA Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D007858:Learning / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000502:physiology*; D010852:Picrotoxin / Q000494:pharmacology; D011689:Purkinje Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D011743:Pyrimidines / Q000494:pharmacology; D011810:Quinoxalines / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D001562:Benzimidazoles; D002120:Calcium Channel Agonists; D002317:Cardiovascular Agents; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; D018756:GABA Antagonists; D010852:Picrotoxin; D011743:Pyrimidines; D011810:Quinoxalines; C082246:ICI D2788; C056723:FG 9041; C102635:1-ethyl-2-benzimidazolinone