Purkinje cells in the cerebellum receive direct input from
A) mossy fibers and climbing fibers.
B) climbing fibers and parallel fibers.
C) mossy fibers and parallel fibers.
D) mossy, climbing, and parallel fibers.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Purkinje cells in the cerebellum receive direct input from climbing fibers and parallel fibers. Climbing fibers originate from the inferior olivary nucleus and form powerful excitatory synapses with the Purkinje cells. Parallel fibers are the axons of granule cells, which indirectly receive input from mossy fibers and then synapse onto the dendrites of Purkinje cells. Mossy fibers themselves do not directly synapse onto Purkinje cells; instead, they synapse onto granule cells, which in turn influence Purkinje cells through their parallel fibers.

Purkinje Cells in the Cerebellum Receive Direct Input from