title: The Roles of the Olivocerebellar Pathway in Motor Learning and Motor Control. A Consensus Paper.
abstract: For many decades, the predominant view in the cerebellar field has been that the olivocerebellar system's primary function is to induce plasticity in the cerebellar cortex, specifically, at the parallel fiber-Purkinje cell synapse. However, it has also long been proposed that the olivocerebellar system participates directly in motor control by helping to shape ongoing motor commands being issued by the cerebellum. Evidence consistent with both hypotheses exists; however, they are often investigated as mutually exclusive alternatives. In contrast, here, we take the perspective that the olivocerebellar system can contribute to both the motor learning and motor control functions of the cerebellum and might also play a role in development. We then consider the potential problems and benefits of it having multiple functions. Moreover, we discuss how its distinctive characteristics (e.g., low firing rates, synchronization, and variable complex spike waveforms) make it more or less suitable for one or the other of these functions, and why having multiple functions makes sense from an evolutionary perspective. We did not attempt to reach a consensus on the specific role(s) the olivocerebellar system plays in different types of movements, as that will ultimately be determined experimentally; however, collectively, the various contributions highlight the flexibility of the olivocerebellar system, and thereby suggest that it has the potential to act in both the motor learning and motor control functions of the cerebellum.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University School of Medicine, 550 1st Ave, New York, NY, USA. eric.lang@nyumc.org.
authors.forename: Eric J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Lang
authors.affiliation: School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Apps
authors.affiliation: Neural Basis for Sensorimotor Control, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Fredrik
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bengtsson
authors.affiliation: School of Physiology, Pharmacology and Neuroscience, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.
authors.forename: Nadia L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Cerminara
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Erasmus MC Rotterdam, Dr. Molewaterplein 50, NL-3015 GE, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.|Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Meibergdreef 47, 1105 BA, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Chris I
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: De Zeeuw
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Timothy J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Ebner
authors.affiliation: Department Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA.
authors.forename: Detlef H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Heck
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jaeger
authors.affiliation: Neural Basis for Sensorimotor Control, Department of Experimental Medical Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Henrik
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jörntell
authors.affiliation: Brain Information Communication Research Laboratory Group, ATR, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Mitsuo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kawato
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology and Integrated Center for Learning and Memory, Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Thomas S
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Otis
authors.affiliation: Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, Meibergdreef 47, 1105 BA, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Ozgecan
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ozyildirim
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Laurentiu S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Popa
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology and Integrated Center for Learning and Memory, Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Alexander M B
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Reeves
authors.affiliation: Division of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Schweighofer
authors.affiliation: Department of Systems Neurophysiology, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, and Center for Brain Integration Research, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Izumi
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sugihara
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, New York University School of Medicine, 550 1st Ave, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Jianqiang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xiao
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000502:physiology; D009847:Olivary Nucleus / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Cerebellum; Complex spike; Inferior olive; Motor control; Motor learning; Purkinje cell; Synchrony