A cortico-cerebellar loop for motor planning

Zhenyu Gao, Courtney Davis, Alyse M. Thomas, Michael N. Economo, Amada M. Abrego, Karel Svoboda, Chris I. Zeeuw and Nuo Li ()
Additional contact information
Zhenyu Gao: Erasmus MC
Courtney Davis: Baylor College of Medicine
Alyse M. Thomas: Baylor College of Medicine
Michael N. Economo: Janelia Research Campus
Amada M. Abrego: Baylor College of Medicine
Karel Svoboda: Janelia Research Campus
Chris I. Zeeuw: Erasmus MC
Nuo Li: Baylor College of Medicine

Nature, 2018, vol. 563, issue 7729, 113-116

Abstract: Abstract Persistent and ramping neural activity in the frontal cortex anticipates specific movements1–6. Preparatory activity is distributed across several brain regions7,8, but it is unclear which brain areas are involved and how this activity is mediated by multi-regional interactions. The cerebellum is thought to be primarily involved in the short-timescale control of movement9–12; however, roles for this structure in cognitive processes have also been proposed13–16. In humans, cerebellar damage can cause defects in planning and working memory13. Here we show that persistent representation of information in the frontal cortex during motor planning is dependent on the cerebellum. Mice performed a sensory discrimination task in which they used short-term memory to plan a future directional movement. A transient perturbation in the medial deep cerebellar nucleus (fastigial nucleus) disrupted subsequent correct responses without hampering movement execution. Preparatory activity was observed in both the frontal cortex and the cerebellar nuclei, seconds before the onset of movement. The silencing of frontal cortex activity abolished preparatory activity in the cerebellar nuclei, and fastigial activity was necessary to maintain cortical preparatory activity. Fastigial output selectively targeted the behaviourally relevant part of the frontal cortex through the thalamus, thus closing a cortico-cerebellar loop. Our results support the view that persistent neural dynamics during motor planning is maintained by neural circuits that span multiple brain regions17, and that cerebellar computations extend beyond online motor control13–15,18.

Keywords: Fastigial Nucleus; Preparatory Activities; Masking Flash; Early Delay Period; Ous Purposes (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0633-x

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