Cerebellar activity is triggered by reach endpoint during learning of a complex locomotor task

Abstract

Locomotion in complex environments requires precise timing and control of paw movements to adapt steps and coordinate limbs. The cerebellum is thought to support moment-to-moment prediction and correction of these movements, but how its cortical neurons encode paw dynamics during locomotion requiring step-speciﬁc adjustments remains unclear. We developed LocoReach, a task in which mice walk on a runged treadmill, requiring each step to reach for the next rung. With training, mice improved performance, showing fewer missteps, longer strides, and faster swings. Optogenetic disruption of cerebellar activity shortened swing duration, highlighting the online contribution of lobule simplex. Electrophysiological recordings revealed that molecular layer interneurons and Purkinje cells exhibited activity changes around swing-stance transitions, primarily for the ipsilateral paw but also across multiple paws. Notably, interneurons showed larger responses during longer strides acquired through learning. These ﬁndings indicate that cerebellar activity is precisely aligned to step-cycle events, supporting adaptive locomotor control.

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BibTeX RIS

BibTeX

@article{andrianarivelo2026cerebellar,
  title = {{Cerebellar activity is triggered by reach endpoint during learning of a complex locomotor task}},
  author = {Andry Andrianarivelo and Heike Stein and Jeremy Gabillet and Clarisse Batifol and Abdelali Jalil and N. Alex Cayco Gajic and Michael Graupner},
  journal = {Nature Communications},
  year = {2026},
  month = jul,
  doi = {10.1038/s41467-026-74823-1},
  url = {https://hal.science/hal-05789588v1},
  note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}

RIS

TY  - JOUR
TI  - Cerebellar activity is triggered by reach endpoint during learning of a complex locomotor task
AU  - Andry Andrianarivelo
AU  - Heike Stein
AU  - Jeremy Gabillet
AU  - Clarisse Batifol
AU  - Abdelali Jalil
AU  - N. Alex Cayco Gajic
AU  - Michael Graupner
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/07/20
JO  - Nature Communications
DO  - 10.1038/s41467-026-74823-1
UR  - https://hal.science/hal-05789588v1
AB  - Locomotion in complex environments requires precise timing and control of paw movements to adapt steps and coordinate limbs. The cerebellum is thought to support moment-to-moment prediction and correction of these movements, but how its cortical neurons encode paw dynamics during locomotion requiring step-speciﬁc adjustments remains unclear. We developed LocoReach, a task in which mice walk on a runged treadmill, requiring each step to reach for the next rung. With training, mice improved performance, showing fewer missteps, longer strides, and faster swings. Optogenetic disruption of cerebellar activity shortened swing duration, highlighting the online contribution of lobule simplex. Electrophysiological recordings revealed that molecular layer interneurons and Purkinje cells exhibited activity changes around swing-stance transitions, primarily for the ipsilateral paw but also across multiple paws. Notably, interneurons showed larger responses during longer strides acquired through learning. These ﬁndings indicate that cerebellar activity is precisely aligned to step-cycle events, supporting adaptive locomotor control.
SN  - 2041-1723
SN  - 2041-1723
ER  -

Abstract

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