Cerebellum: Essential Involvement in the Classically Conditioned Eyelid Response

Classical conditioning of the eyelid response in the rabbit was used to investigate the neuronal structures mediating basic associative learning of discrete, adaptive responses. Lesions of the ipsilateral dentate-interpositus nuclei, but not of the cerebellar cortex, abolished the learned eyeblink response. Recordings from these nuclei have revealed neuronal responses related to the learning of the response. Stimulating these recording sites produced the eyelid response. The dentate-interpositus nuclei were concluded to be critically involved in the learning and production of classically conditioned responses.