Granule cell precursors in the external germinal layer (EGL) of the cerebellum have been proposed to be a major player in the migration and positioning of Purkinje cells through the expression of the Netrin-like receptor Unc5h3 and the extracellular matrix molecule Reelin. To explore the role of the EGL on these processes, we made use of the math1 null-mutant mouse in which the EGL does not for...

The cellular mechanisms underlying Purkinje neuron death in various neurodegenerative disorders of the cerebellum are poorly understood. Here we investigate an in vitro model of cerebellar neuronal death. We report that cerebellar Purkinje neurons, deprived of trophic factors, die by a form of programmed cell death distinct from the apoptotic death of neighboring granule neurons. Purkinje neuro...

PURPOSE To evaluate the difference in intraocular lens tilt and decentration measurements with 2 Purkinje meters. SETTING Vienna Institute for Research in Ocular Surgery, Hanusch Hospital, Vienna, Austria. DESIGN Prospective evaluation of diagnostic test. METHODS This single-center study included pseudophakic patients in 2 substudies in which 3 consecutive measurements were performed with...

The cerebellar and vestibular nuclei consist of a heterogeneous group of inhibitory and excitatory neurons. A major proportion of the inhibitory neurons provides a GABAergic feedback to the inferior olive, while the excitatory neurons exert more direct effects on motor control via non-olivary structures. At present is is not clear whether Purkinje cells innervate all types of neurons in the cer...

Mutations in FGF14, which encodes intracellular fibroblast growth factor 14 (iFGF14), have been linked to spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA27). In addition, mice lacking Fgf14 (Fgf14(-/-)) exhibit an ataxia phenotype resembling SCA27, accompanied by marked changes in the excitability of cerebellar granule and Purkinje neurons. It is not known, however, whether these phenotypes result from defects in ...

UNLABELLED Neuronal atrophy in neurodegenerative diseases is commonly viewed as an early event in a continuum that ultimately results in neuronal loss. In a mouse model of the polyglutamine disorder spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1), we tested the hypothesis that cerebellar Purkinje neuron atrophy serves an adaptive role rather than being simply a nonspecific response to injury. In acute cer...

The cerebellar Purkinje cell controlling eyeblinks can learn, remember and reproduce the interstimulus interval in a classical conditioning paradigm. Given temporally separated inputs, the cerebellar Purkinje cell learns to pause its tonic inhibition of a motor pathway with high temporal precision so that an overt blink occurs at the right time. Most models relegate the Purkinje cell’s passage-...

The cerebellum influences behavior and cognition exclusively via Purkinje cell synapses onto neurons in the deep cerebellar and vestibular nuclei. In contrast with the rich information available about the organization of the cerebellar cortex and its synaptic inputs, relatively little is known about microcircuitry postsynaptic to Purkinje cells. Here we examined the cell types and microcircuits...

Purkinje cells are among the most resistant neurons to axotomy and the most refractory to axonal regeneration. By using organotypic cultures, we have studied age- and environment-related factors implicated in Purkinje cell survival and axonal regeneration. Most Purkinje cells taken from 1- to 5-d-old rats, the period in which these neurons are engaged in intense synaptogenesis and dendritic rem...

This paper describes a systematic approach to suppressing cardiac alternans in simulated Purkinje fibers using localized current injections. We investigate the controllability and observability of the periodically paced Noble model for different locations of the recording and control electrodes. In particular, we show that the loss of controllability causes the failure of the control approach i...