Cerebellar contributions to the Papez circuit

Cerebellar influences on the various substructures in the Papez Circuit are indicated by the following. 1. Anatomical studies indicate that the major midbrain areas to which this circuit projects are : 1) ventral tegmental area; 2) interpeduncular area; and 3) periaqueductal gray areas; and these same areas project back to the limbic system. There are projections to these regions from the cerebellar nuclei, as indicated by terminal degeneration studies which show that cerebellar nuclei connect, mostly by fine fibers, with a continuum of cells located on either side of the midline in the ventral tegmentum of the midbrain. Observations that the cerebellum also projects to the locus ceruleus (NA system) and VTA (DA system) indicate that cerebellar influences can also reach the limbic areas via the catecholamine fiber bundles. 2. Electrophysiological studies indicate that vermiam and fastigial stimulation induce evoked responses in the basolateral amygdala, the hippocampus, and the septum, with latencies to the peak of first wave ranging from 4 to 8 msec and to the second wave of 16-29 msec. Citations from the physiological literature indicate that electrical stimulation of the cerebellum, especially the vermis, can modify a wide range of responses which involve functional activities of either the sympathetic or parasympathetic nervous systems. 3. Studies on electrically induced afterdischarges in the septum, hippocampus, and amygdala indicate that cerebellar stimulation can shorten the duration of or terminate the afterdischarges, and the site of lowest threshold is the midline cortex. Focal cooling of the vermis promotes prolongation of the afterdischarges as does pretreatment of animals with 6-OH dopamine. Chemical lesions in the catecholamine system induced by 6-OH dopamine reduce the effectiveness of the cerebellar stimulation, as do lesions of nucleus fastigii. These data are interpreted to indicate that the cerebellum can exert a tonic suppressor (inhibitory?) influence on substructures within the Papez Circuit. 4. Citations from animal behavioral studies indicate that electrical stimulation of the anterior cerebellum can induce responses such as arousal, predatory attack, and feeding which mimic those obtained by amygdaloid stimulation. Fastigial stimulation can produce drowsiness and EEG changes which resemble the sleep patterns resulting from stimulation of the ventral amygdala.