The candelabrum cell: A new interneuron in the cerebellar cortex

Abstract

A new cell type is described in silver-impregnated sections of the rat cerebellar cortex, uniformly distributed through all the cerebellar folia. The soma is rather small, roughly pyriform, vertically oriented, and squeezed, in a sandwich-like manner, between the Purkinje cell somata. One or two thick dendrites arise from the upper pole of the cell body and course through the entire molecular layer, dividing into a few, slightly oblique, branches that can reach the pia mater. These dendrites are covered with irregularly distributed spines. Some more slender dendrites emerge from the lower part of the cell body, or from the proximal trunk of a molecular dendrite, and spread tortuously for a short distance in the upper granular layer. A thick initial segment emerges directly from the soma or from the proximal portion of a dendrite, the axon winding then horizontally through or just above the Purkinje cell layer. During this horizontal course it gives off vertically oriented beaded branches ascending through the major part of the molecular layer. These branches, rather closely spaced, occupy different parasagittal planes, separated by about 10 to 30 microns. This axonal arborisation can thus be compared with a candelabrum. The peculiar three-dimensional spread of the axonal collaterals suggests a functional relationship between these branches and the dendritic trunks of neighbouring Purkinje cells. A comparative analysis of the morphological differences between this candelabrum interneuron and the other corticocerebellar interneurons found in the vicinity of the ganglionic layer confirms the specificity of this new cell class.

Submillisecond kinetics and low efficacy of parallel fibre‐Golgi cell synaptic currents in the rat cerebellum

“…More recently, Neki, Ohishi, Kaneko, Shigemoto, Nakanishi & Mizuno (1996) have demonstrated that 90% of the interneurones of the granular layer express mGluR2 and that the remaining 10% express mGluR5. The mGluR5-positive interneurones include, according to their description in both text and figures, typical bipolar Lugaro cells and chandelier cells, a recently described interneurone of the Purkinje cell layer (Lain e & Axelrad, 1994). Nevertheless, the authors propose that these populations correspond to two different subtypes of Golgi cells.…”

Cerebellum- and forebrain-derived stem cells possess intrinsic regional character

“…The Purkinje cells extend large dendritic arborizations into the molecular layer and send their axon to the white matter track (Altman and Bayer, 1996). Finally, the recently described candelabrum neurons (Laine and Axelrad, 1994) and Lugaro neurons are located directly underneath the Purkinje cell layer. Lugaro cells project their dendrites horizontally and remain within the molecular layer (Laine and Axelrad, 2002).…”

“…The cerebellar neurons can be divided into the five 'classic' neuronal subtypes (granule cells, Golgi, stellate, basket neurons and Purkinje cells) and into the less common neuronal subtypes (Lugaro, brush and candelabrum neurons) (Flace et al, 2004;Laine and Axelrad, 1994).…”

Besides Purkinje cells and granule neurons: an appraisal of the cell biology of the interneurons of the cerebellar cortex

“…The candelabrum cell was Wrst described in 1994 by Laine and Axelrad (1994) in the rat, and is the most recently delineated distinct neuronal phenotype of the cerebellar cortex. Candelabrum cell perikarya are located within the ganglionic (Purkinje) cell layer, and they are usually elongated along the vertical axis.…”