Is the parvocellular red nucleus involved in cerebellar motor learning?

Abstract

The anatomical connections of the parvocellular red nucleus (RNp) have led to the suggestion that it might participate along with the cerebellum in modifying old and developing new programs for the control of complex, compound, coordinated movements of multiple body parts. RNp projects to and excites the inferior olivary nuclear neurons, which send climbing fibers to excite neurons in contralateral cerebellar cortex and nuclei. RNp receives excitatory inputs from ipsilateral cerebral cortex (onto distal dendrites) and from contralateral cerebellar nuclei (onto proximal dendrites). We here further develop a hypothesis as to mechanism, and offer preliminary evidence from RNp inactivation studies in awake, trained macaques during modification of their gaze-reach calibration while wearing wedge prism spectacles.