Parametric analysis of cerebellar LTD in eyelid conditioning

The goal of this study is to use a detailed computer simulation of the cerebellum to intercandidate for the eligibility delay and the duration of LTD at the granule to Purkinje synapses. Experimental studies suggest that these synapses are responsible for learning and timing of the conditioned response in eyelid conditioning. The results indicate that there is an abrupt change in conditioning for eligibility delays varying between 100 and 200 ms. Moreover, the results predict that an eligibility delay of 125 ms and a LTD duration of 100 ms show no conditioning for a 50 ms interstimulus interval. Although the existence of the eligibility delay has not been shown experimentally, this prediction is in agreement with suggestions provided by studies related to adaptation in the vestibular-ocular reflex.