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Biology
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Plasticity and Computation in Cerebellar Neurons and Microcircuits
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Plasticity and Computation in Cerebellar Neurons and Microcircuits

A special issue of Biology (ISSN 2079-7737). This special issue belongs to the section "Neuroscience".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2023) | Viewed by 2801

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Francesca Prestori

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, 27100 Pavia, Italy
Interests: cerebellum; electrophysiological skills; patch-clamp recordings; Ca2+ imaging; neuron biophysics; cellular and systems neurophysiology; neurotransmission; long-term synaptic plasticity; neuronal excitability; signal coding

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

One of the most remarkable and intriguing features of the mammalian brain is its plasticity, which can be defined as its ability to modify its structure and function in response to experience. Specifically, plasticity refers to modifications in the efficacy and strength of synaptic transmission through different activity-dependent mechanisms, and for almost a century it has been thought to be crucially involved in the outstanding capacity of the brain to convert "short-term memory" traces into a more permanent form. Synaptic plasticity is also thought to play a critical role in brain development by allowing the formation of precise neural circuits, and evidence that impaired synaptic plasticity can constitute a risk factor for several neuropsychiatric disorders is rapidly accumulating. The cerebellum is a very rare and powerful example of an experimental and computational model for studying synaptic plasticity. It is composed of a cortex and several nuclei (DCN); the cerebellar cortex contains relatively simple neural circuits with only a few types of cells connected in an orderly way. This allows for an analysis of synapses between definitely identified neuronal types based on experimental data and/or computational predictions. To date, several forms of synaptic plasticity (LTP, LTD, STDP) with multiple and different mechanisms of induction and expression have been demonstrated at distinct cerebellar synapses, the understanding of which may be greatly aided by integrated circuit modeling. This Special Issue will explore circuit plasticity of the cerebellum, presenting research articles, reviews and short communications combining experimental and modeling techniques to provide new insights and explanatory models capable of accounting for the complexity of the synaptic machinery involved in plasticity at cerebellar synapses.

Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Induction and expression of LTP and LTD;
  • Spike-timing-dependent plasticity;
  • Short-term plasticity;
  • Hebbian mechanisms of synaptic changes;
  • Intracellular signaling related to synaptic modification;
  • Presynaptic modification of neurotransmitter release;
  • Heterosynaptic plasticity;
  • Plasticity at inhibitory synapses;
  • Neuromodulation.

Dr. Francesca Prestori
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biology is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • cerebellum
  • LTP and LTD
  • STDP
  • short-term plasticity
  • computational modeling
  • neuromodulation
  • excitatory and inhibitory synapses
  • intracellular signaling
  • neurotransmitter release

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Review

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21 pages, 3418 KiB  
Review
The Role of Cerebellar Intrinsic Neuronal Excitability, Synaptic Plasticity, and Perineuronal Nets in Eyeblink Conditioning
by Bernard G. Schreurs, Deidre E. O’Dell and Desheng Wang
Biology 2024, 13(3), 200; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology13030200 - 21 Mar 2024
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Abstract
Evidence is strong that, in addition to fine motor control, there is an important role for the cerebellum in cognition and emotion. The deep nuclei of the mammalian cerebellum also contain the highest density of perineural nets—mesh-like structures that surround neurons—in the brain, [...] Read more.
Evidence is strong that, in addition to fine motor control, there is an important role for the cerebellum in cognition and emotion. The deep nuclei of the mammalian cerebellum also contain the highest density of perineural nets—mesh-like structures that surround neurons—in the brain, and it appears there may be a connection between these nets and cognitive processes, particularly learning and memory. Here, we review how the cerebellum is involved in eyeblink conditioning—a particularly well-understood form of learning and memory—and focus on the role of perineuronal nets in intrinsic membrane excitability and synaptic plasticity that underlie eyeblink conditioning. We explore the development and role of perineuronal nets and the in vivo and in vitro evidence that manipulations of the perineuronal net in the deep cerebellar nuclei affect eyeblink conditioning. Together, these findings provide evidence of an important role for perineuronal net in learning and memory. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plasticity and Computation in Cerebellar Neurons and Microcircuits)
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Other

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14 pages, 2140 KiB  
Opinion
Morphological and Functional Principles Governing the Plasticity Reserve in the Cerebellum: The Cortico-Deep Cerebellar Nuclei Loop Model
by Hiroshi Mitoma, Shinji Kakei, Hirokazu Tanaka and Mario Manto
Biology 2023, 12(11), 1435; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12111435 - 16 Nov 2023
Viewed by 1375
Abstract
Cerebellar reserve compensates for and restores functions lost through cerebellar damage. This is a fundamental property of cerebellar circuitry. Clinical studies suggest (1) the involvement of synaptic plasticity in the cerebellar cortex for functional compensation and restoration, and (2) that the integrity of [...] Read more.
Cerebellar reserve compensates for and restores functions lost through cerebellar damage. This is a fundamental property of cerebellar circuitry. Clinical studies suggest (1) the involvement of synaptic plasticity in the cerebellar cortex for functional compensation and restoration, and (2) that the integrity of the cerebellar reserve requires the survival and functioning of cerebellar nuclei. On the other hand, recent physiological studies have shown that the internal forward model, embedded within the cerebellum, controls motor accuracy in a predictive fashion, and that maintaining predictive control to achieve accurate motion ultimately promotes learning and compensatory processes. Furthermore, within the proposed framework of the Kalman filter, the current status is transformed into a predictive state in the cerebellar cortex (prediction step), whereas the predictive state and sensory feedback from the periphery are integrated into a filtered state at the cerebellar nuclei (filtering step). Based on the abovementioned clinical and physiological studies, we propose that the cerebellar reserve consists of two elementary mechanisms which are critical for cerebellar functions: the first is involved in updating predictions in the residual or affected cerebellar cortex, while the second acts by adjusting its updated forecasts with the current status in the cerebellar nuclei. Cerebellar cortical lesions would impair predictive behavior, whereas cerebellar nuclear lesions would impact on adjustments of neuronal commands. We postulate that the multiple forms of distributed plasticity at the cerebellar cortex and cerebellar nuclei are the neuronal events which allow the cerebellar reserve to operate in vivo. This cortico-deep cerebellar nuclei loop model attributes two complementary functions as the underpinnings behind cerebellar reserve. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plasticity and Computation in Cerebellar Neurons and Microcircuits)
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