Conservation of the architecture of the anterior lobe vermis of the cerebellum across mammalian species.

Publisher Summary Within the mammalia, the morphology of the cerebellum varies dramatically both in form and size; however, despite numerous anatomical differences, the mammalian cerebellum is classified into 10 lobules, and there is a more fundamental compartmentation of the cerebellum into transverse zones and parasagittal stripes. This chapter focuses on the conserved nature of cerebellar compartmentation, with a specific focus on the anterior vermis, which has a very characteristic appearance in rats and mice. The highly conserved antigen zebrin II has proven useful in comparative studies of cerebellar compartmentation. The results presented in the chapter suggest that regardless of cerebellar size, a characteristic set of stripes is present in the anterior lobe vermis of the mammalian cerebellum, and the topography of zebrin II expression is well conserved. The restriction of the zebrin II epitope to Purkinje cells and the molecular weight of the zebrin II/aldolase C antigen are highly conserved from fish to primates, except amphibia. Differences in the molecular architecture of the cerebellum among phylogenetic groups of mammals are minor, but consistent, such as the pattern of zebrin II expression in the anterior vermis of ferrets resembles that of cats. Several investigations have shown evidence that stripes are determined early in development and are not a response to usage, and several hundred distinct cerebellar modules have been identified based upon expression patterns and afferent terminal fields; however, the function of stripes in the adult cerebellum is a matter of speculation.