The cerebellum plays an essential role in coordinating sensori-motor integration and motor execution. In the classical view of the cerebellum, sensory-motor inputs carried by the mossy fibers are forwarded to the cerebellar cortex where they are processed and drive the firing of the Purkinje cells. Purkinje cells in turn project to the cerebellar nuclei and control their output. We recently described a novel cell type of the cerebellar nuclei which contradicts this unidirectional flow chart. The Inhibitory Nucleo-Cortical neurons project from the nuclei to the cerebellar cortex where they control information processing. We will discuss how this new circuit fits in the modular organization of the cerebellar system and its role in shaping cerebellar cortical activity.

Publications:
Giber K, Diana MA, M Plattner V, Dugué GP, Bokor H, Rousseau CV, Maglóczky Z, Havas L, Hangya B, Wildner H, Zeilhofer HU, Dieudonné S§, Acsády L. (2015) A subcortical inhibitory signal for behavioral arrest in the thalamus. Nat Neurosci. 18:562-8.
Ankri L, Husson Z, Pietrajtis K, Proville R, Léna C, Yarom Y, Dieudonné S§, Yoe Uusisaari M. (2015) A novel inhibitory nucleo-cortical circuit controls cerebellar Golgi cell activity. Elife. 4. doi: 10.7554/eLife.06262.
Husson Z, Rousseau CV, Broll I, Zeilhofer HU, Dieudonné S§. (2014) Differential GABAergic and glycinergic inputs of inhibitory interneurons and Purkinje cells to principal cells of the cerebellar nuclei. J Neurosci. 34 : 9418-31.
Otsu Y, Marcaggi P, Feltz A, Isope P, Kollo M, Nusser Z, Mathieu B, Kano M, Tsujita M, Sakimura K, Dieudonné S§. (2014) Activity-dependent gating of calcium spikes by A-type K+ channels controls climbing fiber signaling in Purkinje cell dendrites. Neuron. 84 : 137-51.