The Role of Climbing Fibers in the Development of Purkinje Cell Dendrites

Destruction of the inferior olivary nucleus was performed in newborn kittens in order to study the role of climbing fibers in the postnatal development of the cerebellum. In the three kittens which survived for 40-45 days after the unilateral destruction at 2 days old, histological examination demonstrated the lack of dendritic arborization in many Purkinje cells in the cerebellar cortex contralateral to the lesion. The olivectomized kittens showed cerebellar symptoms which became conspicuous when the kittens started to walk. The results reveal an important role of climbing fibers in the development of Purkinje cell dendrites.