PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Skyler L. Jackman
AU  - Christopher H. Chen
AU  - Heather L. Offermann
AU  - Iain R. Drew
AU  - Bailey M. Harrison
AU  - Anna M. Bowman
AU  - Katelyn M. Flick
AU  - Isabella Flaquer
AU  - Wade G. Regehr
TI  - Cerebellar Purkinje cell activity modulates aggressive behavior
AID  - 10.1101/2020.01.06.891127
DP  - 2020 Jan 01
TA  - bioRxiv
PG  - 2020.01.06.891127
4099  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2020/01/06/2020.01.06.891127.short
4100  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2020/01/06/2020.01.06.891127.full
AB  - Although the cerebellum is traditionally associated with balance and motor function, it also plays wider roles in affective and cognitive behaviors. Evidence suggests that the cerebellar vermis may regulate aggressive behavior, though the cerebellar circuits and patterns of activity that influence aggression remain unclear. We used optogenetic methods to bidirectionally modulate the activity of spatially-delineated cerebellar Purkinje cells to evaluate the impact on aggression in mice. Increasing Purkinje cell activity in the vermis significantly reduced the frequency of attacks in a resident-intruder assay. Reduced aggression was not a consequence of impaired motor function, because optogenetic stimulation did not alter motor performance. In complementary experiments, optogenetic inhibition of Purkinje cells in the vermis increased the frequency of attacks. These results establish Purkinje cell activity in the cerebellar vermis regulates aggression, and further support the importance of the cerebellum in driving affective behaviors that could contribute to neurological disorders.