"Climbing fibers (CFs) provide instructive signals driving cerebellar learning, but mechanisms causing the variable CF responses in Purkinje cells (PCs) are not fully understood. Using a new experimentally validated PC model, we unveil the ionic mechanisms underlying CF-evoked distinct spike waveforms on different parts of the PC. We demonstrate that voltage can gate both the amplitude and the spatial range of CF-evoked Ca2+ influx by the availability of K+ currents. ... The voltage- and branch-specific CF responses can increase dendritic computational capacity and enable PCs to actively integrate CF signals."
Model Type: Neuron or other electrically excitable cell
Region(s) or Organism(s): Cerebellum
Cell Type(s): Cerebellum Purkinje GABA cell
Currents: Ca pump; I K; I K,Ca; I Na,p; I h
Model Concept(s): Action Potential Initiation; Active Dendrites; Synaptic Integration; Dendritic Action Potentials; Detailed Neuronal Models
Simulation Environment: NEURON
Implementer(s): Zang, Yunliang
References:
Zang Y, Dieudonné S, De Schutter E. (2018). Voltage- and Branch-Specific Climbing Fiber Responses in Purkinje Cells Cell reports. 24 [PubMed]