MULTIPLE SUBCLASSES OF PURKINJE-CELLS IN THE PRIMATE FLOCCULAR COMPLEX PROVIDE SIMILAR SIGNALS TO GUIDE LEARNING IN THE VESTIBULOOCULAR REFLEX

The neural ''learning rules'' governing the induction of plasticity in the cerebellum were analyzed by recording the patterns of neural acti vity in awake, behaving animals during stimuli that induce a form of c erebellum-dependent learning. We recorded the simple- and complex-spik e responses of a broad sample of Purkinje cells in the floccular compl ex during a number of stimulus conditions that induce motor learning i n the vestibule-ocular reflex (VOR). Each subclass of Purkinje cells c arried essentially the same information about required changes in the gain of the VOR. The correlation of simple-spike activity in Purkinje cells with activity in vestibular pathways could guide learning during low-frequency but not high-frequency stimuli. Climbing fiber activity could guide learning during all stimuli tested but only if compared w ith the activity present similar to 100 msec earlier in either vestibu lar pathways or Purkinje cells.