Time windows and reverberating loops: a reverse-engineering approach to cerebellar function

We review a reverse-engineering approach to cerebellar function that pays particular attention to temporal aspects of neuronal interactions. This approach offers new vistas on the role of GABAergic synapses and reverberating projections within the olivo-cerebellar system. More specifically, our simulations show that Golgi cells can control the ring time of granule cells rather than their ring rate and that Purkinje cells can trigger precisely timed rebound spikes in neurons of the deep cerebellar nuclei. This rebound activity can reverberate back to the cerebellar cortex giving rise to a complex oscillatory dynamics that may have interesting functional implications for working memory and timed-response tasks.