Cerebral inputs to cerebellar dentate nucleus neurons in the cat

Abstract

We investigated excitatory and inhibitory inputs from the cerebral cortex (areas 4 and 6) to the dentate nucleus neurons in anesthetized cats. Intracellular recordings were made from dentate neurons. They were identified as efferent dentate neurons by their antidromic response to stimulation of the contralateral red nucleus (RN). There were three types of efferent neurons in the dentate nucleus; dentate neurons projecting to the RN, those projecting to both the RN and the nucleus reticularis tegmenti pontis (NRTP) or the pontine nucleus (PN), and those projecting to both the RN and the inferior olive (IO). Stimulation of the cerebral cortex (areas 4 and 6) usually produced a series of responses; EPSPs-IPSPs-disinhibition. Excitatory inputs from area 6 to the dentate nucleus were more predominant than those from area 4, and the convergence from both was rare.