Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Selective synaptic plasticity within the cerebellar cortex following complex motor skill learning

J A Kleim1, R A Swain, K A Armstrong

  • 1Departments of Psychology, Psychiatry, Cell and Structural Biology, Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois, 405 North Mathews Avenue, Urbana, Illinois, 61801, USA.

Neurobiology of Learning and Memory
|August 26, 1998
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Risk of acute pulmonary embolism in COVID-19 pneumonia compared to community-acquired pneumonia: a retrospective case-control study.

Clinical radiology·2021
Same author

Unraveling the role of zinc complexes on indium phosphide nanocrystal chemistry.

The Journal of chemical physics·2019
Same author

A Case of Psychosis and Renal Failure Associated with Excessive Energy Drink Consumption.

Case reports in psychiatry·2019
Same author

Sleep-related vehicle crashes on low speed roads.

Accident; analysis and prevention·2016
Same author

Diagnosing Posterolateral Rotatory Knee Instability.

The Physician and sportsmedicine·2016
Same author

Sleep-related crash characteristics: Implications for applying a fatigue definition to crash reports.

Accident; analysis and prevention·2015

Complex motor skill learning increases synapse numbers in the cerebellum, specifically parallel fiber synapses. This neuroplasticity is linked to learning, not just physical activity.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Motor Learning
  • Synaptic Plasticity

Background:

  • Complex motor skill acquisition is known to induce structural changes in the brain.
  • The cerebellum plays a crucial role in motor control and learning.
  • Previous research suggests an increase in synapse number with motor learning, but specific synapse types involved remain unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate which specific synapse types increase in number within the cerebellar cortex as a result of complex motor skill learning.
  • To differentiate the effects of learning-dependent motor activity from general motor activity on cerebellar synapse populations.

Main Methods:

  • Quantitative electron microscopy was employed to count synapse numbers.
  • Adult female rats were divided into three groups: acrobatic condition (AC) for complex motor learning, voluntary exercise (VX) for general motor activity, and inactive control (IC).
Keywords:
Non-programmatic

Related Experiment Videos

  • AC rats were trained on an elevated obstacle course, VX rats had access to running wheels, and IC rats were handled daily.

    • Main Results:

    • Animals trained in the acrobatic condition (AC) showed a significantly higher number of parallel fiber to Purkinje cell synapses compared to both voluntary exercise (VX) and inactive control (IC) groups.
    • No other synapse types within the cerebellar cortex were found to be significantly altered in number across the experimental groups.
    • These findings indicate that the increase in cerebellar synapse number is specific to certain synapse types involved in motor learning.

    Conclusions:

    • Complex motor skill learning, as opposed to mere motor activity, drives an increase in the number of parallel fiber synapses in the cerebellar cortex.
    • The observed neuroplasticity in the cerebellum during motor learning is primarily mediated by the addition of parallel fiber synapses.
    • This study highlights the specificity of structural brain adaptations to the demands of motor skill acquisition.