Development of the spinocerebellar system within the precerebellar network

Mossy fiber and climbing fiber inputs coming into the cerebellum through the precerebellar system feed into a stereotyped circuit module at the heart of cerebellar computations. Building this circuitry requires exquisite coordination, from generating the diverse populations, to guiding axons to the appropriate targets, and finally establishing the correct synapses. In this chapter, we take a closer look at the development of the spinocerebellar system and then bring in aspects of the hindbrain precerebellar system to ask how these pieces fit together during development. We also emphasize how little we know about spinocerebellar development and suggest ways the field can proceed to fill these gaps. Overall, we hope this chapter not only provides a useful reference but also sparks new ideas for future studies of the spinocerebellar system.