A5059481440- Vestibular and auditory disorders
- Neural dynamics and brain function
- Visual perception and processing mechanisms
- Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
- Retinal Development and Disorders
- Hearing, Cochlea, Tinnitus, Genetics
- Glaucoma and retinal disorders
Hertie Institute for Clinical Brain Research
2013-2018
University of Tübingen
2013-2018
Bernstein Center for Computational Neuroscience Tübingen
2016
Purkinje cells (PC), the sole output neurons of cerebellar cortex, encode sensorimotor information, but how they do it remains a matter debate. Here we show that PCs use multiplexed spike code. Synchrony/spike time and firing rate different information in behaving monkeys during saccadic eye motion tasks. Using local field potential (LFP) as probe network activity, found infrequent pause spikes, which initiated or terminated intermittent pauses simple trains, provide temporally reliable...
Microsaccades, the small saccades made when we try to keep eyes still, were once believed be inconsequential for vision, but recent studies suggest that they can precisely relocate gaze tiny visual targets. Because cerebellum is necessary motor precision, investigated whether microsaccades may exploit this neural machinery in monkeys. Almost all vermal Purkinje cells, which provide eye-related output of cerebellar cortex, found increase or decrease their simple spike firing rate during...
Climbing fiber (CF) triggered complex spikes (CS) are massive depolarization bursts in the cerebellar Purkinje cell, showing several high frequency spikelet components (±600 Hz). Since its early observations, CS is known to vary shape. In this study we describe waveforms, extracellularly recorded awake primates (Macaca mulatta) performing saccades. Every cell analyzed showed a range of shapes with profoundly different duration and number spikelets. The initial part was rather constant but...
The cerebellum allows us to rapidly adjust motor behavior the needs of situation. It is commonly assumed that cerebellum-based learning guided by difference between desired and actual behavior, i.e., error information. Not only immediate but also future will benefit from an because it induces lasting changes parallel fiber synapses on Purkinje cells (PCs), whose output mediates behavioral adjustments. Olivary climbing fibers, likewise connecting with PCs, are thought transport information...
Saccades and smooth pursuit eye movements (SPEM) are two types of goal-directed whose kinematics differ profoundly, a fact that may have contributed to the notion underlying cerebellar substrates separated. However, it is suggested some Purkinje cells (PCs) in oculomotor vermis (OMV) monkey cerebellum be involved both saccades SPEM, puzzling finding view different kinematic demands movements. Such 'dual' OMV PCs might oddities with little if any functional relevance. On other hand, they...
Recent studies have suggested that microsaccades, the small amplitude saccades made during fixation, are precisely controlled. Two lines of evidence suggest cerebellum plays a key role not only in improving accuracy macrosaccades but also microsaccades. First, lesions fastigial oculomotor regions (FOR) cause horizontal dysmetria both micro- and macrosaccades. Secondly, our previous work on Purkinje cell simple spikes vermis (OV) has established qualitatively similar response preferences for...
Scrutiny of the visual environment requires saccades that shift gaze to objects interest. In case object should be moving, smooth pursuit eye movements (SPEM) try keep image within confines fovea in order ensure sufficient time for its analysis. Both and SPEM can adaptively changed by experience insufficiencies, compromising precision or minimization slip SPEM. As both forms adaptation rely on cerebellar oculomotor vermis (OMV), most probably deploying a shared neuronal machinery, one might...
The local field potential (LFP) represents the activity of a neural population around extracellular electrode. While it is debated how sampled actually [1], known that tuning curves, i.e. sensitivity to sensory stimuli, obtained from LFP can have similar but broader shapes than ones calculated firing rates multi/single unit recordings [2]. Beyond rate, recent studies shown correlation between and spike train be based on time code boost transfer information by complementing rate [3]. Here...