Maturation of Purkinje cell firing properties relies on neurogenesis of excitatory neurons.

ABSTRACT: Preterm infants that suffer cerebellar insults often develop motor disorders and cognitive difficulty. Excitatory granule cells, the most numerous neuron type in the brain, are especially vulnerable and likely instigate disease by impairing the function of their targets, the Purkinje cells. Here, we use regional genetic manipulations and in vivo electrophysiology to test whether excitatory neurons establish the firing properties of Purkinje cells during postnatal mouse development. We generated mutant mice that lack the majority of excitatory cerebellar neurons and tracked the structural and functional consequences on Purkinje cells. We reveal that Purkinje cells fail to acquire their typical morphology and connectivity, and that the concomitant transformation of Purkinje cell firing activ

SUBMITTER: van der Heijden ME 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8452305 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature