Structure and function of the cerebellum
The histological organization of the cerebellum is relatively uniform throughout. Given that what distinguishes the different part of the cerebellum and how are those differences related to its function?
In an attempt to address this question my lab has examined the organization of afferents to the cerebellum and the relationship of those afferents to molecular heterogeneities that are characteristic of the cells within the cerebellum. These studies have been done in adult rodents and also in developing and mutant animals whose cerebella are malformed. This enables us to determine what cellular and synaptic relationships are critical in the development of the adult pattern. More recently we have been interested is the relationship between activation cellular patterns within the cerebellum that result from different stimuli, such as alcohol or vestibular stimulation and how these relate to the molecular heterogeneities that have been elucidated within the cerebellum.
We use different neuroanatomical approaches including different neuroanatomical tracers that are transported in an anterograde and/or retrograde fashion, immunohistochemistry, surgical interventions in the brain and spinal cord and behavioral approaches.
I hope that my findings will be used to determine the function of the exquisite molecular and anatomical heterogeneities that are characteristic of the cerebellum and how these differences to function, i.e what do different parts of the cerebellum do. In addition we would also like to determine how these heterogeneities relate to genetic and environmental insults that result in abnormal development and in malfunction of the cerebellum to produce abnormal motor behavior and/or deficits in cognition.
