Abstract
The olivo-cerebellar system has been implicated in temporal coordination of task components. Here, we propose a novel model that enables the olivo-cerebellar system to function as a generator of temporal patterns. These patterns could be used for timing of motor, sensory and cognitive tasks. The proposed mechanism for the generation of these patterns is based on subthreshold oscillations in a network of inferior olivary neurons and their control by the cerebellar cortex and nuclei. Our model, which integrates a large body of anatomical and physiological observations, lends itself to simple, testable predictions and provides a new conceptual framework for olivo-cerebellar research.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 617-625 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Trends in Neurosciences |
| Volume | 31 |
| Issue number | 12 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Dec 2008 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:Work in the laboratory is supported by grants from the Israeli Ministry of Science ( www.most.gov.il/English ), the Israel Science Foundation ( www.isf.org.il/English ) and the U.S.–Israel Binational Science Foundation ( www.bsf.org.il ). We thank Israel Nelken, Yonatan Loewenstein and Ron Jortner for useful comments on the manuscript.