Tag

Cerebellum

All articles tagged with #cerebellum

science3 days ago•1 min saved

Post-Training Vagus Nerve Stimulation Enhances Long-Term Motor Skill Retention in Mice

Researchers at Tohoku University have demonstrated that stimulating the vagus nerve after a training session can significantly improve long-term motor skill retention in mice. Published in iScience on August 25, 2026, the study indicates that this stimulation does not boost immediate performance but instead facilitates the consolidation of learning into durable memory. The mechanism appears to involve rhythmic changes in blood volume within the brain, specifically near the cerebellar flocculus, which may create a more receptive environment for neural plasticity.

via ScienceDaily|

#cerebellum #motor-learning #neuroscience

science1 month ago•4 min saved

Post-Training Vagus Nerve Stimulation Strengthens Long-Term Motor Learning

Mouse study shows that applying vagus nerve stimulation after a training session does not boost immediate performance, but enhances long-term retention of a learned motor task by altering the brain’s vascular environment to favor consolidation. The effect appears days after training, suggesting a body–brain communication window that could be leveraged to improve durable skill learning, though applicability to humans remains to be tested.

via SciTechDaily|

#cerebellum #memory-consolidation #motor-learning

science1 month ago•31 min saved

Granule cells rotate cortical trajectories to separate contexts

A study in mice using dual-site two-photon imaging shows premotor cortical L5PT neurons generalize across two skills with shared timing, while cerebellar granule cells remap their activity in time. Importantly, granule cell trajectories rotate coherently between contexts to separate them while preserving the cortical geometry, with larger rotations in expert animals, suggesting a division of labor: the cortex provides invariant dynamics for generalization and the granule cell layer reconfigures these dynamics to drive context-specific outputs.

via Nature|

#cerebellum #context-separation #cortex

science-and-technology2 months ago•6 min saved

Mescaline Dampens the Brain’s Gatekeeper, Hinting at Hallucinations

Northeastern researchers using MRI in rodents show mescaline uniquely dampens the cerebellum—the brain’s sensory filter—while increasing cross-brain connectivity, potentially driving hallucinatory experiences and linking to sensory-disruption seen in some psychiatric conditions; findings differ from LSD/psilocybin and point to translational steps toward human studies and clinical relevance.

via Northeastern Global News|

#cerebellum #mescaline #neuroimaging

science2 months ago•6 min saved

Reviving Purkinje Cell Firing Could Slow Age-Related Mobility Loss

McGill researchers link reduced firing of cerebellar Purkinje cells to age-related declines in gait, balance, and coordination in mice; by using designer receptors (DREADDs) to increase Purkinje cell activity in older animals, motor performance improved on tasks like the Rotarod and a string-pulling task, while decreasing activity in young mice worsened performance, establishing a causal role and offering a potential target to preserve mobility and reduce falls in aging (with implications for neurodegenerative conditions).

via SciTechDaily|

#aging #cerebellum #mice

science3 months ago•82 min saved

Neuronal migration causes non-lethal DNA breaks via mechanical stress

During brain development, migrating neurons experience mechanical stress as they squeeze through narrow spaces, triggering widespread DNA double-strand breaks without nuclear envelope rupture. Breaks arise from TOP2β–DNA cleavage complexes and are repaired mainly by non-homologous end joining; damage concentrates in transcriptionally inactive chromatin and retrotransposons. In mice with early Lig4 loss in migrating neurons, DSBs persist with mild transcriptional changes and age‑related motor deficits, suggesting developmental DNA damage can subtly affect brain function and disease risk.

via Nature|

#cerebellum #dna-damage #neural-development

science7 months ago•7 min saved

Cerebellum Hosts a Language Satellite Echoing the Brain’s Speech Network

New precision MRI work across 800+ participants reveals four cerebellar regions involved in language, including a right-posterior area that acts as a dedicated language satellite mirroring the neocortical language network. Most cerebellar regions also activate during non-linguistic tasks, suggesting the cerebellum helps integrate information across brain networks. The findings extend the language network into the cerebellum, with potential implications for language learning and aphasia therapy through non-invasive brain stimulation.

via Neuroscience News|

#aphasia #cerebellum #fmri

science11 months ago•6 min saved

Cerebellum Activity Tied to Shyness

A study finds that shyness is linked to reduced spontaneous activity in the cerebellum, with this relationship being partly mediated by the Behavioral Inhibition System, highlighting the neural and motivational factors underlying shy behavior.

via PsyPost|

#brain-activity #cerebellum #neuroscience

science1 year ago•4 min saved

Reevaluating the Brain Regions Behind Consciousness

Recent research suggests that the ancient regions of the brain, such as the subcortex and cerebellum, may play a more significant role in consciousness than previously thought, challenging the traditional focus on the neocortex.

via Gizmodo|

#brain-regions #cerebellum #consciousness

science1 year ago•4 min saved

Old Brain Regions May Be Key to Consciousness, New Research Indicates

Recent research suggests that the oldest parts of the brain, such as the subcortex and even the cerebellum, may be sufficient for basic consciousness, challenging the traditional view that the neocortex is essential for conscious experience. Evidence from brain stimulation, injury, and rare cases of individuals without a neocortex indicates that consciousness might be more widespread and rooted in ancient brain structures than previously thought.

via ScienceAlert|

#brain-regions #cerebellum #consciousness

science1 year ago•4 min saved

Reevaluating Brain Focus in Consciousness Theories

Recent research suggests that traditional theories emphasizing the neocortex's role in consciousness may be incomplete, as evidence indicates that ancient brain regions like the subcortex and cerebellum can support basic conscious experiences, prompting a reevaluation of our understanding of consciousness and its neural basis.

via The Conversation|

#brain-regions #cerebellum #consciousness

health1 year ago•5 min saved

Mitochondria's Role in Cerebellar Decline in MS

A study from UC Riverside links mitochondrial dysfunction to the loss of Purkinje neurons in the cerebellum, contributing to motor impairments in MS patients, suggesting that targeting mitochondrial health could help preserve motor control and balance.

via Neuroscience News|

#cerebellum #health #mitochondrial-dysfunction

neuroscience2 years ago•2 min saved

Unveiling the Role of 'Zombie Neurons' in Cerebellum-Driven Learning

Neuroscientists studying learning in mice have discovered "zombie neurons" in the brain, shedding new light on the learning processes in the cerebellum. Using optogenetics, they found that climbing fibers in the cerebellum play a key role in associative learning. However, introducing a light-sensitive protein zombified these neurons, preventing them from responding to sensory stimuli and blocking the animals' ability to learn. This research provides compelling evidence that climbing fiber signals are essential for cerebellar associative learning and raises questions about the 'zombification' of neurons and its implications for other forms of cerebellar learning.

via ScienceAlert|

#brain #cerebellum #learning

neuroscience2 years ago•4 min saved

"The Cerebellum's Impact on Learning and Autism Unveiled"

A study by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and Columbia University reveals that the cerebellum, traditionally associated with motor control, also plays a crucial role in reward-based learning and forming new visuomotor associations. By training monkeys to associate visual cues with hand movements for rewards, the study shows that blocking a specific region of the cerebellum impairs the ability to learn new associations, highlighting its contribution to cognitive functions. This discovery expands our understanding of the cerebellum's role beyond motor control and offers insights into addressing non-motor symptoms in individuals with cerebellar disorders.

via Neuroscience News|

#cerebellum #cognitive-function #monkey-study

neuroscience2 years ago•6 min saved

Unveiling the Learning Secrets of Zombie Neurons in the Cerebellum

Researchers have discovered "zombie neurons" in the cerebellum, termed as such because they are alive but functionally altered, shedding light on the brain's teaching signals and the role of climbing fibres in associative learning. The study utilized optogenetics to manipulate climbing fibres and found that they are crucial for cerebellar learning, as altering them created "zombie neurons" that could induce learning when directly stimulated but ceased to respond to traditional sensory stimuli. This research provides compelling evidence of the necessity of climbing fibre signals in cerebellar learning, advancing our understanding of brain plasticity and learning mechanisms.

via Neuroscience News|

#cerebellum #climbing-fibres #learning