Functional organization of the goldfish cerebellum

Abstract

1. Most Purkinje neurons show ongoing spike activity. In approximately 75%, this activity disappeared after peduncle lesion and in some of these the activity stopped when water flow over the gills was interrupted. Approximately one-fourth of Purkinje cells (PC's) showed continuing ongoing activity after afferent input was abolished. 2. Stimulation of spinal cord elicited both simple spikes, mainly in ipsilateral PC's, and some complex responses (via climbing fibers) usually contralateral and of longer latency than the simple spikes. 3. Tactile stimulation of skin and flexion of tail or fins, also lateral line stimulation by a water stream, evoked bursts of spikes in PC-s. Input was by mossy fibers and mechanoreceptive fields were large. 4. Stimulation of vestibular nerve produced both simple and complex responses in PC's. Auditory stimuli were most effective at 800–1200 Hz in eliciting responses via mossy fibers. Responses to sound were phasic changes in ongoing frequency, bursts followed by inhibition or on-off excitation. 5. Responses to visual stimuli were recorded in granule cells and Purkinje cells, also in mossy axons. Many PC's showed excitatory-inhibitory sequences; a few climbing fiber responses were recorded. The mossy fiber visual input is from optic tectum relay. 6. Some PC's were activated by two or three sensory modalities.