Abstract
Single cell discharges were recorded in vitro from thin sections of cerebellum of the guinea-pig prepared vertical to the cortical surface and incubated in artificial media. White matter stimulation induced antidromic, mossy and climbing fiber responses in neurons in the Purkinje cell layer. Spontaneous discharges were observed in both Purkinje cell and granular layers. In the Purkinje cell layer, most neurons repeated a regular cycle of firing and silent periods. Response of each neuron to white matter stimulation increased and decreased synchronously with this. At the transition from the firing to silent period, many cells generated a sequence of spike bursts. Application of glutamate also caused a similar burst sequence. A train of stimuli to the white matter was followed by a sustained suppression of the spontaneous discharge for several seconds. A single stimulation did not induce a long and profound suppression of spontaneous discharge. These findings were discussed in comparison with those obtained in vivo.
