The glutamate receptor gene GluR-4 is proposed to generate two spliced isoforms (Sommer et al., 1990). Screening a rat cerebellar cDNA library, we have now identified a third type of transcript derived from GluR-4 gene by differential RNA processing. This transcript encodes a protein with a "flop" module between transmembrane regions 3 and 4, but with a C-terminus segment of 36 amino acids diff...

Plasma membrane Ca2+ ATPase 2 (PMCA2) is a fast, highly effective mechanism to control resting cytosolic Ca2+ and Ca2+ excursions in neurons and other excitable cells. The strong expression of PMCA2 in the cerebellum and the cerebellar behavioral deficits presented by PMCA2-/- knock-out mice all point to its importance for cerebellar circuit dynamics. Here, we provide direct functional evidence...

To analyze the interdependence of neurons and astroglia during central nervous system development, a rapid method for purifying early postnatal cerebellar neurons and astroglia, and recombining them in vitro, has been developed. The influence of neurons on astroglial shape and proliferation has been evaluated with an in vitro model system previously used to describe the role of cerebellar astro...

Although Golgi cells (GoCs), the main type of inhibitory interneuron in the cerebellar granular layer (GL), are thought to play a central role in cerebellar network function, their excitable properties have remained unexplored. GoCs fire rhythmically in vivo and in slices, but it was unclear whether this activity originated from pacemaker ionic mechanisms. We explored this issue in acute cerebe...

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of soy milk on serum 17- β estradiol level and number of neurons in cerebral cortex and hippocampus as well as determination of the ratio of neurons in cortical and hippocampal regions in neonatal ovariectomized rats. Thirty female rats (one day old) were divided into six groups of five. At day 7, ovariectomy surgery was performed in four groups a...

Early life stress during fetal development has been hypothesized to predispose several neurological and psychiatric disorders in adulthood. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of maternal stress on the volume of granular cells, total number of dark neurons and also the distribution of glycol-conjugates and changes of terminal sugars in the dentate gyrus. Pregnant Sprague-Daw...

Action potential firing rates are generally limited by the refractory period, which depends on the recovery from inactivation of voltage-gated Na channels. In cerebellar Purkinje neurons, the kinetics of Na channels appear specialized for rapid firing. Upon depolarization, an endogenous open-channel blocker rapidly terminates current flow but prevents binding of the "fast" inactivation gate. Up...

introduction: diabetes mellitus is associated with nervous system alterations in both human and animal models. this study was done to determine the effect of gestational diabetes on the purkinje and granular cells in the cerebellum of rat offspring.  methods: 10 wistar rats dams were randomly allocated in control and diabetic group. the experimental group received 40 mg/kg/body weight of strept...

Among the newly discovered spinocerebellar cell groups, those at lumbar and more caudal levels of the cat's spinal cord were studied with regard to which of the two cerebellar peduncles, the restiform body or the superior cerebellar peduncle, is used by their axons. Bilateral injections with horseradish peroxidase were made into either of the anterior lobe or the posterior cerebellar terminatio...