Cerebellar nuclei are the primary organizers of circuit formation in cerebellum

小脑核团是小脑回路形成的主要组织者

• 批准号: 341921-2012
• 负责人: Marzban, Hassan
• 金额: $ 1.89万
• 依托单位: University of Manitoba
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2016-01-01 至 2017-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=595527
• 关键词: Cerebellar; nuclei; primary; organizers; circuit

This research program is aimed at understanding the mechanism driving early cerebellar development. The cerebellum is critical for motor coordination and also for non-motor functions such as emotion and cognition. Two major types of neurons regulate cerebellar function: Purkinje cells and cerebellar nuclei (CN) neurons. It is widely thought that Purkinje cells direct the patterning of all other cerebellar cell types. This notion also implies that the Purkinje cells are the targets of the early nerve fibers arriving in the cerebellum, which are thought to originate from the vestibular nerve. My research has identified an unexpected and novel role for a subset of CN neurons in setting up cerebellar connectivity. My data strongly suggest that CN may receive incoming nerve fibers contacts from the trigeminal nerve about one day before the birth of Purkinje cells. Interestingly, these CN neurons appear to originate from a new germinal zone. The goal of this study is to determine the genetic, cellular, and molecular mechanisms that CN neurons use to establish the cerebellar neuronal network (incoming nerve fiber connection to the outgoing neuron) as a principal organizer of the developing cerebellum.

本研究旨在了解小脑早期发育的机制。小脑对运动协调至关重要，对情绪和认知等非运动功能也是如此。两种主要类型的神经元调节小脑功能：浦肯野细胞和小脑核(CN)神经元。人们普遍认为，浦肯野细胞指导着所有其他类型的小脑细胞的构型。这一概念还意味着，浦肯野细胞是到达小脑的早期神经纤维的目标，这些神经纤维被认为起源于前庭神经。我的研究发现，CN神经元的一个子集在建立小脑连接方面扮演了一个意想不到的新角色。我的数据有力地表明，大约在浦肯野细胞出生前一天，CN可能接受来自三叉神经的传入神经纤维接触。有趣的是，这些CN神经元似乎起源于一个新的生发区。本研究的目的是确定CN神经元用于建立小脑神经元网络(传入神经纤维与传出神经元的连接)作为发育中的小脑的主要组织者的遗传、细胞和分子机制。