Non-biased systematic sampling using the principles of stereology provides accurate quantitative estimates of objects within neuroanatomic structures. However, the basic principles of stereology are not optimally suited for counting objects that selectively exist within a limited but complex and convoluted portion of the sample, such as occurs when counting cerebellar Purkinje cells. In an effo...

We investigated the subthreshold properties of an erg (ether-à-go-go-related gene) K(+) current in Purkinje cells of neonatal mice. Action potentials recorded from Purkinje cells in cerebellar slices exhibited a decreased threshold potential and increased frequency of spontaneous and repetitive activity following application of the specific erg channel blocker E-4031. Accommodation was absent b...

Previous studies of wild-type mice or mutant-wild-type mouse chimeras using the neurological mutant staggerer have supported a numerical matching hypothesis for target-related cell death. However, analyses of chimeras of a second neurological mutant, lurcher, have suggested that there may be significant flexibility in the relationship between the numbers of pre- and postsynaptic neurons. Wherea...

Neurosteroids are synthesized de novo in the brain, and the cerebellar Purkinje cell is a major site for neurosteroid formation. We have demonstrated that the Purkinje cell possesses intranuclear receptor for progesterone and actively produces progesterone de novo from cholesterol only during rat neonatal life, when cerebellar cortical formation occurs dramatically. We have further demonstrated...

The human cerebellum is associated with smooth control of movements and memory. As age advances deterioration is noticed in the cerebellum. The Purkinje cells act as the pivot in the neuronal circuitry of the cerebellum, which initiates and maintains complex, but smooth pursuit movements and it can be identified as one of the factors which cause the decline in movement and memory in humans as a...

IP(3) signaling in Purkinje cells is involved in the regulation of cell functions including LTD. We have used a GFP-tagged pleckstrin homology domain to visualize IP(3) dynamics in Purkinje cells. Surprisingly, IP(3) production was observed in response not only to mGluR activation, but also to AMPA receptor activation in Purkinje cells in culture. AMPA-induced IP(3) production was mediated by d...

Purkinje cells are among the most resistant neurons to axotomy and the most refractory to axonal regeneration. By using organotypic cultures, we have studied age- and environment-related factors implicated in Purkinje cell survival and axonal regeneration. Most Purkinje cells taken from 1- to 5-d-old rats, the period in which these neurons are engaged in intense synaptogenesis and dendritic rem...

Introduction: Minocycline has anti-inflammatory, anti-apoptotic, and anti-oxidant effects. Preclinical data suggest that minocycline could be beneficial for treating common neurological disorders, including Parkinson disease and multiple sclerosis. Methods: In this study, the effects of minocycline on harmaline-induced motor and cognitive impairments were studied in male Wistar rats. The rats ...

The cerebellar cortex has a fundamental parasagittal organization that is reflected in the physiological responses of Purkinje cells, afferent and efferent connections, and the expression of several molecular markers. The most thoroughly studied of these molecular markers is zebrin II (ZII; a.k.a. aldolase C). ZII is differentially expressed in Purkinje cells, resulting in a pattern of sagittal...

stract-Regional differences in the restitution of action tential duration may be arrhythmogenic. Though such a fference exists at the Purkinje-ventricular interface, restitution netics have not yet been defined between coupled Purkinje and ntricular cells. Thus, the purpose of this study was to termine the effects of coupling on restitution in Purkinje and ntricular cells. DiFrancesco-Noble and...