Summary
-
1.
The glomerulus in the cerebellar granular layer is composed of the three elements; the mossy fibre terminal, the granule cell dendrites and the Golgi cell axons. The afferent input to the cerebellar cortex through the glomerulus, the mossy fibre-granule cell relay (M.G.R.), and its inhibitory control by the Golgi cells were studied by recording, a) extracellular field potentials in the granular and molecular layers, b) unitary spikes of granule cells, and c) intracellular postsynaptic potentials in Purkinje cells.
-
2.
Mossy fibres were activated by juxta-fastigial, transfolial, lateral cuneate nucleus and radial nerve stimulation. Stimulation of an adjacent folium (transfolial stimulation) could excite branches of mossy fibres under the stimulating electrode which supply other branches also to the folium under the recording electrode. This technique was utilized to distinguish the response due to mossy fibre activation from those due to the climbing fibre and Purkinje cell axons.
-
3.
These stimulations resulted in, through the M.G.R., a powerful activation of granule cells whose axons (parallel fibres) excited in turn the Purkinje cells and the inhibitory interneurones, including the Golgi cells, in the molecular layer.
-
4.
Field potentials and unitary spikes due to granule cell activity elicited by the stimulation of mossy fibres were markedly depressed for hundreds of milliseconds after the direct stimulation of parallel fibres (LOC stimulation). The postsynaptic potential in Purkinje cells evoked by mossy fibre activation was also depressed by the conditioning LOC stimulation in the same manner. The “spontaneous” background activities recorded from granule cells as unitary spikes and from Purkinje cells as inhibitory synaptic noise were silenced for hundreds of milliseconds after the LOC stimulation.
-
5.
These depressions indicate that the parallel fibre activation evokes an inhibitory action upon M.G.R. On anatomical grounds this inhibition can be mediated only by the Golgi cell, and it is postulated that the inhibitory action is postsynaptic upon the dendrites of granule cells.
-
6.
It is concluded that the Golgi cell inhibition regulates the mossy fibre input to the cerebellar cortex at the M.G.R. by a form of negative feed-back.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Andersen, P., J.C. Eccles, and P.E. Voorhoeve: Postsynaptic inhibition of cerebellar Purkinje cells. J. Neurophysiol. 27, 1138–1153 (1964).
Braitenberg, V., and R.P. Atwood: Morphological observations on the cerebellar cortex. J. comp. Neurol. 109, 1–34 (1958).
Coombs, J.S., J.C. Eccles and P. Fatt: The specific ionic conductances and the ionic movements across the motoneuronal membrane that produce the inhibitory postsynaptic potential. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 130, 326–373 (1955).
Eager, R.P.: Cortical association pathways in the cerebellum of cat. J. comp. Neurol. 121, 381–392 (1963).
Eccles, J.C.: Functional meaning of the patterns of synaptic connections in the cerebellum. Perspectives Biol. Med. 8, 289–310 (1965).
Eccles, J.C., R. Llinás and K. Sasaki: The excitatory synaptic action of climbing fibres on the Purkinje cells of the cerebellum. J. Physiol. (1965a) (in press).
Eccles, J.C., R. Llinás and K. Sasaki: The action of antidromic impulses on the cerebellar Purkinje cells. J. Physiol. (1965b) (in press).
—: The inhibitory interneurones within the cerebellar cortex. Exp. Brain Res. 1, 1–16 (1966a).
—: Parallel fibre stimulation and the responses induced thereby in the Purkinje cells of the cerebellum. Exp. Brain Res. 1, 17–39 (1966b).
Eccles, J.C., R. Llinás K. Sasaki: Intracellularly recorded responses of the cerebellar Purkinje cells. Exp. Brain Res. 1, (in press) (1966c).
Fox, C.A.: The intermediate cells of Lugaro in the cerebellar cortex of the monkey. J. comp. Neurol. 112, 39–49 (1959).
—: The structure of the cerebellar cortex. In: Correlative Anatomy of the Nervous System, pp. 193–198. Ed. E.C. Crosby, T.H. Humphrey and E.W. Lauer. New York: The MacMillan Co. 1962.
—, and J.W. Barnard: A quantitative study of the Purkinje cell dendritic branchlets and their relationship to afferent fibres. J. Anat. (Lond.) 91, 299–313 (1957).
—, K.A. Siegesmund and C.R. Dutta: The Purkinje cell dendritic branchlets and their relation with the parallel fibers: Light and electron microscopic observations. In: Morphological and Biochemical Correlates of Neural Activity, pp. 112–141. Ed. M.M. Cohen and R.S. Snider. New York: Harper & Row 1964.
Frezik, J.: Associative connections established by Purkinje axon collaterals between different parts of the cerebellar cortex. Acta morph. Acad. Sci. hung. 12, 9–14 (1962).
Golgi, C.: Sulla fina anatomia degli organi centrali del sistema nervoso. Milano: U. Hoepli 1886.
Granit, R., and C.G. Phillips: Excitatory and inhibitory processes acting upon individual Purkinje cells of the cerebellum in cats. J. Physiol. (Lond.) 133, 520–547 (1956).
Grant, G.: Spinal course and somatotopically localized termination of the spinocerebellar tracts. An experimental study in the cat. Acta physiol. scand. 56, Suppl. 193 (1962).
Hámori, J.: Identification in the cerebellar isles of Golgi II axon endings by aid of experimental degeneration, p. 291. Third European Regional Conference on electron microscopy. Prague: Publishing House of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences 1964.
—, and J. Szentágothai: The “crossing over” synapse. An electron microscope study of the molecular layer in the cerebellar cortex. Acta biol. Acad. Sci. hung 15, 95–117 (1964).
Held, H.: Beiträge zur Struktur der Nervenzellen und ihrer Fortsätze. Dritte Abhandlung. Arch. Anat. Physiol., Suppl.-Bd. S. 273–312 (1897).
Holmqvist, B., O. Oscarsson and I. Rosen: Functional organisation of cuneocerebellar tract in cat. Acta physiol. scand. 58, 216–235 (1963).
Ito, M., and M. Yoshida: The cerebellar-evoked monosynaptic inhibition of Deiters neurones. Experientia 20, 515–516 (1964).
— and K. Obata: Monosynaptic inhibition of the intracerebellar nuclei induced from the cerebellar cortex. Experientia 20, 575–576 (1964).
Lorente de Nó, R.: A study of nerve physiology. Studies from the Rockefeller Institute, Vol. 132, Chapt. 16 (1947).
Ramón y Cajal, S.M.: La estructura de los centros nerviosos de las aves. Rev. trim. de Histologia normal y patológica 1888.
—: Histologie du Système Nerveux de L'Homme et des Vertébrés. II, 993 pp. Paris: Maloine 1911.
Scheibel, M.E., and A.B. Scheibel: Observations on the intracortical relations of the climbing fibers of the cerebellum. J. comp. Neurol. 101, 733–760 (1954).
Szentágothai, J.: New data on the functional Anatomy of synapses (Hungarian). Magy. Tud. Akad., Biol. orv. Tud. Osztal. Közl. 6, 217–227 (1963).
—: The use of degeneration methods in the investigation of short neuronal connexions. In: Progress in Brain Research, vol. 14, pp. 1–30 (Degeneration Patterns in the Nervous System). Ed. M. Singer and J.P. Schadé. Amsterdam: Elsevier Publishing Company 1965.
—, and K. Rajkovits: Über den Ursprung der Kletterfasern des Kleinhirns. Z. Anat. Entwickl.-Gesch. 121, 130–141 (1959).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Eccles, J.C., Llinás, R. & Sasaki, K. The mossy fibre-granule cell relay of the cerebellum and its inhibitory control by Golgi cells. Exp Brain Res 1, 82–101 (1966). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00235211
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00235211