Contribution of cerebellar sensorimotor adaptation to hippocampal spatial memory.

Jean-Baptiste Passot (1) , Denis Sheynikhovich (1) , Éléonore Duvelle (1) , Angelo Arleo (1)

1 NPA - Neurobiologie des processus adaptatifs

Complementing its primary role in motor control, cerebellar learning has also a bottom-up influence on cognitive functions, where high-level representations build up from elementary sensorimotor memories. In this paper we examine the cerebellar contribution to both procedural and declarative components of spatial cognition. To do so, we model a functional interplay between the cerebellum and the hippocampal formation during goal-oriented navigation. We reinterpret and complete existing genetic behavioural observations by means of quantitative accounts that cross-link synaptic plasticity mechanisms, single cell and population coding properties, and behavioural responses. In contrast to earlier hypotheses positing only a purely procedural impact of cerebellar adaptation deficits, our results suggest a cerebellar involvement in high-level aspects of behaviour. In particular, we propose that cerebellar learning mechanisms may influence hippocampal place fields, by contributing to the path integration process. Our simulations predict differences in place-cell discharge properties between normal mice and L7-PKCI mutant mice lacking long-term depression at cerebellar parallel fibre-Purkinje cell synapses. On the behavioural level, these results suggest that, by influencing the accuracy of hippocampal spatial codes, cerebellar deficits may impact the exploration-exploitation balance during spatial navigation.

Domaines: Neurosciences; Modélisation et simulation

Jean-Baptiste Passot, Denis Sheynikhovich, Éléonore Duvelle, Angelo Arleo. Contribution of cerebellar sensorimotor adaptation to hippocampal spatial memory.. PLoS ONE, 2012, 7 (4), pp.e32560. ⟨10.1371/journal.pone.0032560⟩. ⟨hal-01020148⟩