Local Field Potential Oscillations in Primate Cerebellar Cortex During Voluntary Movement

Abstract

Pellerin, Jean-Pierre and Yves Lamarre. Local field potential oscillations in primate cerebellar cortex during voluntary movement. J. Neurophysiol. 78: 3502–3507, 1997. Sustained oscillations of 13–18 Hz were observed in local field potentials (LFPs) in the cerebellar cortex of a behaving monkey. These oscillations, which appeared to be generated in the granular cell layer, were particularly prominent in the paramedian lobule. The oscillatory activity decreased during drowsiness or extreme arousal and occurred most often when the animal was immobile but alert. In a task requiring the animal to move the arm ∼1 s after an auditory cue, the oscillations stopped some 150–200 ms after the cue, resumed 200–300 ms later, and stopped again 50–100 ms before movement onset. This modulation pattern was observed with consistency only when the animal responded reliably to the auditory cue. The results suggest that the cerebellum could be involved in some higher level of integration particularly during complex sensorimotor behavior.