Purinergic signaling in the cerebellum

Abstract

Purinergic signaling is a highly complex and evolutionarily conserved mechanism of extracellular communication in the brain that is involved in many physiological and pathological functions. The complexity of the system stems from the multitude of purine receptor subtypes and the large number of potential endogenous purine receptor ligands (ATP, ADP, UTP, UDP, UDP-glucose, and adenosine) which can either be directly released or arise from extracellular metabolism (and thus are potentially controlled by a variety of metabolizing enzymes). The chapter summarizes data on purinergic signaling in the cerebellum. Although much work has defined purine receptor distribution and the cellular effects of purine receptor activation, relatively little is known about how and when purines are released in the cerebellum, the role of purinergic signaling in cerebellar circuits, and the importance of purines in cerebellar motor control.