Taste responses of Purkinje cells in the frog cerebellum

Fifty-nine Purkinje cells that responded to electrical stimulation of the glossopharyngeal (IXth) nerve with complex and/or simple spikes were isolated in the frog cerebellum. For these 59 Purkinje cells, changes in the complex and simple spike activity during taste stimulation of the tongue (42 cells for NaCl and 17 for quinine) were investigated. Of 42 Purkinje cells, 23 (54.8%) showed excitatory changes in simple and/or complex spike discharge rate during NaCl stimulation, and the remaining 19 (45.2%) showed no response. On the contrary, only a few Purkinje cells (2 of 17 cells, 11.8%) showed an excitatory change in simple or complex spike discharge rate during quinine stimulation. These results demonstrate that gustatory information influences cerebellar Purkinje cell activity.