Coda: Cerebellar Dentate Integration of Sensory Influx and Volition for the Regulation of Motor Activity

Abstract

Each of the preceeding chapters in this volume has introduced, developed, and summarized separate issues with respect to cerebellar dentate neurons. The structure and assembly of individual neurons and their components have been examined with the aim of elucidating their organization; neuronal interrelations have been examined in depth. As in a harmony, these relations can be broken down into two aspects—horizontal progression and vertical assembly. The horizontal aspect develops from the interweaving of the individual structures, their detailed synaptic connections. The vertical aspect emerges as the sum total of the various neural components within the dentate when all influx and output possibilities are considered. The dentate nucleus has been reconstructed as a totality, the mass has been measured and placed onto repeatable coordinates for experimentation. Component neurons have been counted, measured, examined individually and in groups, classified, and reexamined minutely to discover the secrets of their specific connectivity.