Elucidating synergistic motor learning mechanisms by distributed multiple plasticity in the cerebellum

2016 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 26430009
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Neurophysiology / General neuroscience
• Research Institution: The University of Electro-Communications
• Principal Investigator: Yamazaki Tadashi 電気通信大学, 大学院情報理工学研究科, 准教授 (40392162)
• Research Collaborator: GOSUI Masato ; FURUSHO Wataru
• Project Period (FY): 2014-04-01 – 2017-03-31
• Keywords: 小脳 / シナプス可塑性 / 理論 / シミュレーション / 高性能神経計算

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Long-term depression at parallel fiber-Purkinje cell synapses seems to play the essential role in cerebellar motor learning, but recent experiments demonstrate multiple plasticity mechanisms at distributed sites within the cerebellum. The present study aimed to clarify the synergistic role of those plasticity mechanisms for motor learning from the theoretical view point. We proposed a unified theoretical framework for cerebellar motor learning, and varidated our theory by large-scale computer simulation. We also built a very large-scale realistic cerebellar model on a supercomputer. Finally, we reconciled the computational principle of the cerebellum, and suggested that the cerebellum with multiple plasticity mechanisms could perform much stronger computation than that used to be considered as a perceptron.

Free Research Field

神経科学