Modeling cerebellar learning for spatial cognition

Recent experimental findings have begun to unravel the implication of the cerebellum in high-level functions such as spatial cognition [1,2]. We focus on behavioral genetic data showing that L7-PKCI mice (lacking LTD at parallel fibers-Purkinje cell synapses) have a spatial learning impairment in the Morris Watermaze (MWM), whereas they exhibit normal performances in the Starmaze, a paradigm that reduces the procedural demand of the task [3]. These results suggest that cerebellar learning may prominently contribute to the procedural component of spatial learning [3].