The origin of cerebellar-induced inhibition of Deiters neurones III. Localization of the inhibitory zone

Summary

By recording intracellularly from Deiters neurones of cats, there was a survey of those cerebellar areas that, when stimulated, produced inhibitory postsynaptic potentials (IPSPs) monosynaptically in Deiters neurones. The monosynaptic inhibitory area expanded longitudinally mainly along the ipsilateral vermal cortex of the anterior lobe. The ipsilateral cortex of the posterior lobe was also effective in inhibiting Deiters neurones though less prominently than the anterior lobe. The inhibitory fibers could be stimulated in the white matter of the cerebellum, predominantly in the ipsilateral side at rostral regions of nuclei fastigii and interpositus. It was further shown that the monosynaptic inhibition from the anterior and posterior lobes occurs chiefly in the dorsal portion of Deiters nucleus. Since in both the cerebellum and Deiters nucleus the spatial pattern of distribution of the inhibitory fibers conforms to that of the corticovestibular fibers as histologically defined, the experimental findings are in accord with the hypothesis that the cerebellar Purkinje cells are inhibitory in nature.