Synaptic mechanisms of sensorimotor learning in the cerebellum

The cerebellum plays an essential role in motor learning. The ability to identify specific sensory and motor signals carried by neurons with known connectivity makes the cerebellum an attractive system for investigating how synaptic plasticity relates to learning. Early studies focused primarily on a single form of plasticity, long-term depression at parallel fiber-Purkinje cell synapses. Recent work has highlighted both the diversity of synaptic plasticity that exists within the cerebellum and the fact that individual plasticity mechanisms can have unexpected consequences when they act within neural circuits.

► Synapses throughout the cerebellum exhibit long-term plasticity. ► In vivo whole cell recordings provide glimpses into granule cell sensory processing. ► Multiple forms of plasticity at parallel fiber synapses interact in unexpected ways. ► Mossy fiber synapses in the deep cerebellar nuclei are bidirectionally plastic. ► Understanding how diverse plasticity mechanisms work together to support learning is a current goal.