Cerebellar nuclei Purkinje cell

AFFERENT CONNECTIONS OF THE CEREBELLAR NUCLEI PURKINJE CELL AXONS... 

IHC shows CYP2B6 in neurons and astrocytes, higher in smokers and alcoholics especially in cerebellar Purkinje cells and hippocampal pyramidal neurons, also caudate nucleus and putamen (Miksys et al., 2003). 

Ikai et al. (1992) reported that the VTA sends projections to the rat cerebellar cortex and deep cerebellar nuclei bilaterally, with a slight contralateral predominance. In this study, dopaminergic efferents of the A10 cell group were reported to reach mainly the granule cell layer of the cerebellar cortex in the lateral portion of the hemispheres, with additional input to the Purkinje cell layer, but sparing the molecular layer. The deep cerebellar nuclei, and in particular the lateral nucleus, were instead found to receive inputs from nondopaminergic cells of the VTA, reciprocating projections to the VTA bilaterally and with a contralateral predominance. 

This disease is a late onset disorder of the cerebellum characterized by selective and progressive loss of Purkinje cells. Initially the disease was thought to be confined to the cerebellar cortex, dentate nucleus, and inferior olives, but more recent studies suggest more widespread cerebellar involvement (Seidel et al., 2009 Wang et al.,... 

L-7 is a protein specific for Purkinje cells. Labelling with polyclonal antibodies against predicted L-7 sequences was present in somata, including the nucleus, in dendrites and dendritic spines, and in axon and axon terminals of Purkinje cells. All Purkinje cells, but no other types of cerebellar neurons appeared to be labelled (Berrebi and Mugnaini,... 

Nerve growth factor-like immunoreactivity was present in Purkinje cell somata and dendrites, with dense labelling in the paraflocculus, and in neurons of the cerebellar nuclei and the lateral vestibular nucleus of rat cerebellum (Nishio et ah, 1994). All but a few of the Purkinje cells of the adult rat cerebellum stain with an antiserum against basic fibroblast growth factor. Staining was observed in all cellular compartments (Matsuda et ah, 1992). 

The (central) cerebellar nuclei and the lateral vestibular nucleus of Deiters receive the axons of the Purkinje cells of the cerebellar cortex and serve as the main output stations of the cerebellum. The vermis and the flocculus also project to other vestibular nuclei, but here the Purkinje cell axons compete with vestibular root fibers, intrinsic and commissural vestibular connections and projections from the medial cerebellar nucleus and, therefore, are not the dominant afferent system. 

Zebrin-immunoreactive and non-immunoreactive Purkinje cells are distributed in parallel longitudinal bands in the cortex of rat cerebellum (Hawkes et al., 1985) and distribute their axons to different parts of the cerebellar nuclei (Hawkes and Leclerc, 1986). Light microscopical observations showed that all Zebrin positive boutons on the soma and dendrites of large central nuclear cells contained GAD, and that most GAD-positive boutons on individual cells either were Zebrin-positive or -negative. The two populations of Purkinje cells, therefore, terminate on different central nuclear cells. Zebrin-positive Purkinje cells of the vermis projected to the caudal part and a majority of Zebrin-negative Purkinje cells to the rostral part of the fastigial nucleus of the rat. 

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