lab

Cerebro-cerebellar Communication

Lab Head: Zhenyu-Gao

Lab Description

The brain possesses remarkable abilities to integrate diverse sensory inputs from the outside world and generate appropriate motor commands for voluntary movements. Sensorimotor processing, the process by which the brain establishes a specific relationship between sensory information and motor outputs, is not only fundamental for movement control but also important for complex executive and cognitive functions. Achieving sensorimotor processing requires the perfect coordination of multiple brain regions. Although extensive studies have been devoted to illustrating the specific cellular and circuit mechanisms for sensorimotor processing in these brain regions, the mechanisms of multi-regional computation and coordination remain unclear.

To address these questions, we are studying the multi-regional communication in the context of several sensorimotor behaviors using a combination of anatomical, behavioral, pharmacological, optogenetic, and electrophysiological methods. Our overarching goal is to dissect the anatomical and functional organization of the multi-regional modules in sensorimotor learning and natural behaviors.


We welcome postdoc and PhD applicants from various academic backgrounds who are interested in contributing to our research. Please specify your research interests in your inquiry.


Selected Publications

Excitatory nucleo-olivary pathway shapes cerebellar outputs for motor control

Xiaolu Wang, Zhiqiang Liu, Milen Angelov, Zhao Feng, Xiangning Li, Anan Li, Yan Yang, Hui Gong & Zhenyu Gao
in 2023
DOI: 10.1038/s41593-023-01387-4

A FN-MdV pathway and its role in cerebellar multimodular control of sensorimotor behavior

Xiaolu Wang , Si-yang Yu , Zhong Ren , Chris I. De Zeeuw , Zhenyu Gao
in Nature Communications 2020
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-19960-x

A cortico-cerebellar loop for motor planning.

Gao Z, Davis C, Thomas AM, Economo MN, Abrego AM, Svoboda K, De Zeeuw CI, Li N
in Nature 2018
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0633-x

Dynamic modulation of activity in cerebellar nuclei neurons during pavlovian eyeblink conditioning in mice.

Ten Brinke MM, Heiney SA, Wang X, Proietti-Onori M, Boele HJ, Bakermans J, Medina JF, Gao Z, De Zeeuw CI
in eLife 2017
DOI: 10.7554/eLife.28132

Excitatory Cerebellar Nucleocortical Circuit Provides Internal Amplification during Associative Conditioning.

Gao Z, Proietti-Onori M, Lin Z, Ten Brinke MM, Boele HJ, Potters JW, Ruigrok TJ, Hoebeek FE, De Zeeuw CI
in Neuron 2016
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2016.01.008

Lab Members

Zhenyu Gao
Dr. Zhenyu Gao (Z.)
Associate Professor
Lab Head
Carmen Schafer
Carmen Schafer
Postdoctoral Fellow
Xiaolu Wang
Dr. Xiaolu Wang
Postdoctoral Fellow
Zhong Ren
Zhong Ren
Phd Student
Anne Bolleboom
Anne Bolleboom
Phd Student
Zhihao Zhang
Zhihao Zhang
Phd Student
Zhiqiang Liu
Zhiqiang Liu
Phd Student
Hana Hasanbegovic
Hana Hasanbegovic
Phd Student
Rui Oliveira Silva
Rui Oliveira Silva
Phd Student
Koen van der Kuil
Koen van der Kuil
Master Student
Erica Sabel Goedknegt
Erica Sabel Goedknegt
Research Technician
Mandy Rutteman
Mandy Rutteman
Research Technician

Selected Publications

Excitatory nucleo-olivary pathway shapes cerebellar outputs for motor control

Xiaolu Wang, Zhiqiang Liu, Milen Angelov, Zhao Feng, Xiangning Li, Anan Li, Yan Yang, Hui Gong & Zhenyu Gao
in 2023
DOI: 10.1038/s41593-023-01387-4

A FN-MdV pathway and its role in cerebellar multimodular control of sensorimotor behavior

Xiaolu Wang , Si-yang Yu , Zhong Ren , Chris I. De Zeeuw , Zhenyu Gao
in Nature Communications 2020
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-19960-x

A cortico-cerebellar loop for motor planning.

Gao Z, Davis C, Thomas AM, Economo MN, Abrego AM, Svoboda K, De Zeeuw CI, Li N
in Nature 2018
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-018-0633-x

Dynamic modulation of activity in cerebellar nuclei neurons during pavlovian eyeblink conditioning in mice.

Ten Brinke MM, Heiney SA, Wang X, Proietti-Onori M, Boele HJ, Bakermans J, Medina JF, Gao Z, De Zeeuw CI
in eLife 2017
DOI: 10.7554/eLife.28132

Excitatory Cerebellar Nucleocortical Circuit Provides Internal Amplification during Associative Conditioning.

Gao Z, Proietti-Onori M, Lin Z, Ten Brinke MM, Boele HJ, Potters JW, Ruigrok TJ, Hoebeek FE, De Zeeuw CI
in Neuron 2016
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2016.01.008

Recent Publications

A disynaptic basal ganglia connection to the inferior olive: potential for basal ganglia influence on cerebellar learning.

Ruigrok TJH, Wang X, Sabel-Goedknegt E, Coulon P, Gao Z
in Frontiers in systems neuroscience 2023
DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2023.1176126

Excitatory nucleo-olivary pathway shapes cerebellar outputs for motor control

Xiaolu Wang, Zhiqiang Liu, Milen Angelov, Zhao Feng, Xiangning Li, Anan Li, Yan Yang, Hui Gong & Zhenyu Gao
in 2023
DOI: 10.1038/s41593-023-01387-4

A midbrain-thalamus-cortex circuit reorganizes cortical dynamics to initiate movement.

Inagaki HK, Chen S, Ridder MC, Sah P, Li N, Yang Z, Hasanbegovic H, Gao Z, Gerfen CR, Svoboda K
in Cell 2022
DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.02.006

Olivocerebellar control of movement symmetry.

Romano V, Zhai P, van der Horst A, Mazza R, Jacobs T, Bauer S, Wang X, White JJ, De Zeeuw CI
in Current biology : CB 2022
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.12.020

Temporal dynamics of the cerebello-cortical convergence in ventro-lateral motor thalamus.

Schäfer CB, Gao Z, De Zeeuw CI, Hoebeek FE
in The Journal of physiology 2021
DOI: 10.1113/JP280455

RHEB/mTOR hyperactivity causes cortical malformations and epileptic seizures through increased axonal connectivity.

Proietti Onori M, Koene LMC, Schäfer CB, Nellist M, de Brito van Velze M, Gao Z, Elgersma Y, van Woerden GM
in PLoS biology 2021
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3001279

Protein phosphatase 2B dual function facilitates synaptic integrity and motor learning.

Lin Z, Wu B, Paul MW, Li KW, Yao Y, Smal I, Onori MP, Hasanbegovic H, Bezstarosti K, Demmers J, Houtsmuller AB, Meijering E, Hoebeek FE, Schonewille M, Smit AB, Gao Z, De Zeeuw CI
in The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience 2021
DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1741-20.2021

Input and output organization of the mesodiencephalic junction for cerebro-cerebellar communication.

Wang X, Novello M, Gao Z, Ruigrok TJH, De Zeeuw CI
in Journal of neuroscience research 2021
DOI: 10.1002/jnr.24993

A FN-MdV pathway and its role in cerebellar multimodular control of sensorimotor behavior

Xiaolu Wang , Si-yang Yu , Zhong Ren , Chris I. De Zeeuw , Zhenyu Gao
in Nature Communications 2020
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-19960-x

Response to "Fallacies of Mice Experiments".

Gao Z, Thomas AM, Economo MN, Abrego AM, Svoboda K, De Zeeuw CI, Li N
in Neuroinformatics 2019
DOI: 10.1007/s12021-019-09433-y

Viral Factors Important for Efficient Replication of Influenza A Viruses in Cells of the Central Nervous System.

Siegers JY, van de Bildt MWG, Lin Z, Leijten LM, Lavrijssen RAM, Bestebroer T, Spronken MIJ, De Zeeuw CI, Gao Z, Schrauwen EJA, Kuiken T, van Riel D
in Journal of virology 2019
DOI: 10.1128/JVI.02273-18

Differential Coding Strategies in Glutamatergic and GABAergic Neurons in the Medial Cerebellar Nucleus.

Özcan OO, Wang X, Binda F, Dorgans K, De Zeeuw CI, Gao Z, Aertsen A, Kumar A, Isope P
in The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience 2019
DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0806-19.2019

Local axonal morphology guides the topography of interneuron myelination in mouse and human neocortex.

Stedehouder J, Brizee D, Slotman JA, Pascual-Garcia M, Leyrer ML, Bouwen BL, Dirven CM, Gao Z, Berson DM, Houtsmuller AB, Kushner SA
in eLife 2019
DOI: 10.7554/eLife.48615

Differentiating Cerebellar Impact on Thalamic Nuclei.

Gornati SV, Schäfer CB, Eelkman Rooda OHJ, Nigg AL, De Zeeuw CI, Hoebeek FE
in Cell reports 2018
DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2018.04.098

The basal interstitial nucleus (BIN) of the cerebellum provides diffuse ascending inhibitory input to the floccular granule cell layer.

Jaarsma D, Blot FGC, Wu B, Venkatesan S, Voogd J, Meijer D, Ruigrok TJH, Gao Z, Schonewille M, De Zeeuw CI
in The Journal of comparative neurology 2018
DOI: 10.1002/cne.24479
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Vacancies

There are currently no vacancies on our lab.

Somatic and dendritic recording of a Purkinje cell

Somatic and dendritic recording of a Purkinje cell