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Authors & Affiliations
Sofia Pimpinella, Candida Tufo, Martyn Goulding
Abstract
The cerebellum enables accurate goal-directed movement1. This depends on feedback pathways of sensory inputs and motor outputs carried by spinocerebellar tract neurons 2. Despite, the main characterization of the ventral spinocerebellar tract (VSCT) sending hindlimb motor activity information to the cerebellum, the role of rostral spinocerebellar tract (RSCT) neurons is underexplored. Strikingly, how the cerebellum integrates incoming rostral spinocerebellar signals remains to be revealed. Here, I investigate how RSCT neurons impact the final cerebellar output, allowing the correct execution of fine dexterous motor behaviors in adult mice. We molecularly identified two classes of excitatory ventral interneurons within the central pattern generator circuit, V2a and V3. In the cerebellar cortex they display specific topographic pattern distribution. In addition, those classes of RSCT neuron showed distinct collateral termination in deep cerebellar nuclei, the main output of the cerebellum. These results suggest that RSCT neurons might have different contribution on the cerebellar output by sending distinct input. Finally, combining anatomical, electrophysiological, and behavioral studies, I will define the functional interactions between RSCT neurons and the cerebellum. In addition to defining the functional connectivity between these two important motor control regions, my findings will dramatically impact current models of cerebellar processing. This work will provide new insights into how the RSCT affects cerebellar motor learning and control.