HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Paul, D H Articles by Roberts, B L Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Paul, D H Articles by Roberts, B L

Patterns of activity of cerebellar neurones in response to cutaneous stimulation and during spontaneous, swimming-like movements were examined, using microelectrodes, in decerebrate dogfish (Scyliorhinus canicula). Continuous swimming movements, lasting for several hours, were obtained in fish in which the medial longitudinal fasciculus (m.l.f.) was lesioned in the rhombencephalon. Purkinje cells (P cells) and some stellate cells (S cells) were observed to discharge rhythmically, in phase with swimming movements. These units were distributed throughout the cerebellum, but with no apparent somatotopic distribution. After curarization, rhythmic motor discharges could still be recorded from ventral roots and phase locked P cell discharges were recorded from the cerebellum. P cells that discharged rhythmically during active swimming movements, did not do so when the body was oscillated passively during quiescent periods. Cutaneous stimulation evoked burst discharges in many P cells at long latency (ca. 100 ms) both before and after curarization and whether or not a rhythmic motor output was being generated. In rhythmically discharging units, a similar response was obtained when cutaneous stimulation was applied during that part of a cycle when the unit was most or least active. It was concluded that cerebellar neurones discharged in phase with the output of the spinal locomotory rhythm generators and independently of peripheral sensory feed-back.