Cerebellar LTD and learning-dependent timing of conditioned eyelid responses

Abstract

Mammals can be trained to make a conditioned movement at a precise time, which is correlated to the interval between the conditioned stimulus and unconditioned stimulus during the learning. This learning-dependent timing has been shown to depend on an intact cerebellar cortex, but which cellular process is responsible for this form of learning remains to be demonstrated. Here, we show that protein kinase C-dependent long-term depression in Purkinje cells is necessary for learning-dependent timing of Pavlovian-conditioned eyeblink responses.