Summary
Extracellular recordings were obtained from neurons of the dorsal and medial accessory olives (DAO and MAO) in staggerer and normal mice. The anti- and orthodromic responses of these neurons to stimulation of the contralateral cerebellum were very similar in control and staggerer mice. On the other hand, the mean value of the spontaneous discharge of inferior olivary (I.O.) cells was significantly lower and the modal interval of the discharge was significantly shorter in staggerer than in control mice. These results demonstrate that I.O. neurons and climbing fibers are functional in staggerer mice, although their spontaneous discharge is somewhat different from that of I.O. neurons in control mice.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Armstrong D M (1974) Functional significance of connections of the inferior olive. Physiol Rev 54: 358–417
Belcari P, Francesconi A, Maioli C, Strata P (1977) Spontaneous activity of the Purkinje cells in the Pigeon cerebellum. Pflügers Arch 371: 147–154
Bell C C, Kawasaki T (1972) Relations among climbing fiber responses of nearby Purkinje cells. J Neurophysiol 35: 155–169
Crépel F, Mariani J (1975) Anatomical, physiological, and biochemical studies of the cerebellum from mutant mice. I. Electrophysiological analysis of cerebellar cortical neurons in the staggerer mouse. Brain Res 98: 135–147
Crill W E (1970) Unitary multiple-spiked responses in cat inferior olive nucleus. J Neurophysiol 33: 199–209
De Montigny C, Lamarre Y (1973) Rhythmic activity induced by harmaline in the olivo-cerebello-bulbar system of the cat. Brain Res 53: 81–95
Eccles J C (1964) The physiology of synapses. Springer, Berlin Göttingen Heidelberg New York
Gwyn D G, Nicholson G P, Flumerfelt B A (1977) The inferior olivary nucleus of the rat: A light and electron microscopic study. J Comp Neurol 174: 489–520
Headley P M, Lodge D (1976) Studies on field potentials and on single cells in the inferior olivary complex of the rat. Brain Res 101: 445–459
Headley P M, Lodge D, Duggan A W (1976) Drug-induced rhythmical activity in the inferior olivary complex of the rat. Brain Res 101: 461–478
Landis D M D, Sidman R L (1978) Electron microscopic analysis of post-natal histogenesis in the cerebellar cortex of staggerer mutant mice. J Comp Neurol 179: 831–864
Llinás R, Baker R, Sotelo C (1974) Electronic coupling between neurons in cat inferior olive. J Neurophysiol 37: 560–571
Llinás R, Volkind R A (1973) The olivo-cerebellar system: Functional properties as revealed by harmaline-induced tremor. Exp Brain Res 18: 69–87
Mallet J, Huchet M, Pougeois R, Changeux J P (1976) Anatomical, physiological, and biochemical studies on the cerebellum from mutant mice. II. Protein differences associated with the weaver, staggerer, and nervous mutations. Brain Res 103: 291–312
Mariani J, Delhaye-Bouchaud N (1978) Effect of diazepam on the spontaneous and harmaline-induced electrical activity of Purkinje cells in the cerebellum of the rat and rabbit. Neuropharmacology 17: 45–51
Puro D G, Woodward D J (1977) The climbing fiber system in the weaver mutant. Brain Res 129: 141–146
Ramón y Cajal S (1909) Histologie du système nerveux de l'homme et des vertébrés, vol 2. Maloine, Paris
Sax D S, Hirano A, Shofer R J (1968) Staggerer, a neurological murine mutant. An electron microscopic study of the cerebellar cortex in the adult. Neurology 18: 1093–1100
Sotelo C, Llinás R, Baker R (1974) Structural study of inferior olivary nucleus of the cat: Morphological correlates of electrotonic coupling. J Neurophysiol 57: 541–559
Sotelo C, Privat A (1978) Synaptic remodeling of the cerebellar circuitry in mutant mice and experimental cerebellar malformations. Acta Neuropathol (Berl) 43: 19–34
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Attaché de Recherche INSERM. This work was performed while the author was at the Laboratoire de Physiologie Comparée, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Mariani, J. Electrophysiological study of inferior olivary neurons in staggerer mutant mice. Exp Brain Res 38, 463–468 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00237527
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00237527