Functional Convergence of Autonomic and Sensorimotor Processing in the Lateral Cerebellum

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Autonomic Nervous System
• Sensorimotor Integration

Background:

• The cerebellum is known to regulate voluntary and autonomic rhythmic behaviors.
• The extent to which the cerebellum coordinates these behaviors simultaneously remains largely unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the role of Purkinje cell activity in coordinating respiration and sensorimotor behaviors.
• To determine the context and phase-dependent influence of cerebellar hemispheres on autonomic and sensorimotor functions.

Main Methods:

• Recording Purkinje cell activity in cerebellar lobules simplex, crus 1, and crus 2 during eupneic and perturbed respiration in mice.
• Utilizing whisker stimulation to perturb the respiratory cycle.
• Employing optogenetic stimulation and genetic modification of AMPA receptors in Purkinje cells.

Main Results:

• During normal breathing, Purkinje cell activity encodes sensorimotor processing phase.
• Whisker stimulation induced coordinated whisker protraction and inspiratory phase advancement, preceded by increased simple spike activity.
• Optogenetic stimulation mimicked this phase advancement, while AMPA receptor modification hindered it.

Conclusions:

• Purkinje cell activity impacts respiratory control in a context- and phase-dependent manner.
• Cerebellar hemispheres play a coordinating role in aligning autonomic and sensorimotor behaviors.
• This highlights a novel function of the cerebellum in integrating different behavioral outputs.