01/06 – Stephanie Rudolph : New neurons in an old circuit – Candelabrum cells are molecularly distinct and functionally specialized interneurons of the cerebellar cortex

SPPIN’s webinar winter-spring 2021, UNUSUAL TIME – 1rst June at 14h00, online – Ask link to a SPPIN member.

Stephanie Rudolph : Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York

New neurons in an old circuit – Candelabrum cells are molecularly distinct and functionally specialized interneurons of the cerebellar cortex To understand how the cerebellar cortex transforms mossy fiber (MF) inputs into Purkinje cell (PC) outputs, it is vital to delineate the elements of this circuit. Candelabrum cells (CCs) are enigmatic interneurons of the cerebellar cortex that have been identified based on their morphology, but their electrophysiological properties, synaptic connections, and function remain unknown. Here we clarify these properties using electrophysiology, snRNA sequencing, in situ hybridization, and serial electron microscopy. We find that CCs are the most abundant PC layer interneuron. They are GABAergic, molecularly distinct, and present in all cerebellar lobules. Their high resistance renders CC firing highly sensitive to synaptic inputs. CCs are excited by MFs and granule cells, and strongly inhibited by PCs. CCs in turn inhibit molecular layer interneurons, which leads to PC disinhibition. Thus, inputs, outputs and local signals all converge onto CCs to allow them to assume a unique role in controlling cerebellar output.