title: Cerebellar inhibitory input to the inferior olive decreases electrical coupling and blocks subthreshold oscillations.
abstract: GABAergic projection neurons in the cerebellar nuclei (CN) innervate the inferior olive (IO) that in turn is the source of climbing fibers targeting Purkinje neurons in the cerebellar cortex. Anatomical evidence suggests that CN synapses modulate electrical coupling between IO neurons. In vivo studies indicate that they are also involved in controlling synchrony and rhythmicity of IO neurons. Here, we demonstrate using virally targeted channelrhodopsin in the cerebellar nucleo-olivary neurons that synaptic input can indeed modulate both the strength and symmetry of electrical coupling between IO neurons and alter network activity. Similar synaptic modifications of electrical coupling are likely to occur in other brain regions, where rapid modification of the spatiotemporal features of the coupled networks is needed to adequately respond to behavioral demands.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, Institute of Life Sciences and Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences (ELSC), The Hebrew University, 91904 Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: Yaara
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lefler
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, Institute of Life Sciences and Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences (ELSC), The Hebrew University, 91904 Jerusalem, Israel. Electronic address: yosef.yarom@mail.huji.ac.il.
authors.forename: Yosef
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yarom
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, Institute of Life Sciences and Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences (ELSC), The Hebrew University, 91904 Jerusalem, Israel.
authors.forename: Marylka Yoe
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Uusisaari
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D001369:Axons / Q000502:physiology; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000502:physiology*; D000075402:Channelrhodopsins; D054351:Electrical Synapses / Q000502:physiology; D059330:GABAergic Neurons / Q000502:physiology; D017629:Gap Junctions / Q000502:physiology; D051379:Mice; D008808:Mice, Inbred CBA; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009847:Olivary Nucleus / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000075402:Channelrhodopsins