ROLE OF THE CEREBELLUM IN EXPLORATION BEHAVIOR

Compared to + / + mice, Lurcher (+ /Lc) mutant mice whose cerebellar c ortex is lacking almost all Purkinje cells and granule cells, exhibit a low level of exploration; this deficit is not due to a low level of activity but to both a decreased motivation to explore a novel environ ment and to spatial deficits. The characteristics of exploration in ce rebellectomized +/+ and S/Lc mice suggest that the cerebellum is invol ved not only in cognitive but also in motivational processes. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.