What is it about?
This study shows how the cerebellum, a brain region involved in movement, learning, and emotions, builds connections with other brain regions during early development. We created the first comprehensive map in mice of how these axonal pathways grow, reach their targets, and mature. Connections form in distinct phases: they begin very early in the embryo, expand rapidly around birth, and are then refined during the first weeks after birth. These results reveal key periods when the cerebellum starts to communicate with the rest of the brain and may be especially sensitive to disruptions in its wiring.
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Why is it important?
Disruptions in cerebellar development can affect distant brain regions, potentially causing altered movement, cognition, and social behaviors, as seen in disorders like autism and schizophrenia. By pinpointing when and how cerebellar circuits develop, this study identifies windows when the brain is especially vulnerable, but also potentially adaptable, to early cerebellar disruptions. These insights offer a guide for understanding how the cerebellum may influence the developing brain and for designing interventions that may help prevent or fix disrupted circuits
Perspectives
For me, this paper may contribute to marking the start of a broader shift in how we view the cerebellum, not merely as a late-developing motor structure, but as an early, influential hub shaping brain-wide development. We hope these findings will serve as a reference for future studies investigating how the cerebellum may influence both normal and pathological brain development.
Juan Antonio Moreno Bravo
Instituto de Neurociencias (Universidad Miguel Hernández-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas), Sant Joan d'Alacant 03550, Alicante, Spain.
This project grew from curiosity and a major gap in the field: we wanted to know when and how cerebellar output pathways first form. Existing tools made it nearly impossible to visualize the development of these projections across the whole brain. Using new approaches, we captured them in 3D, watching them emerge early in the embryo and rapidly spread across multiple brain regions. Seeing this unfold for the first time was thrilling. We hope readers share our excitement and that this work advances understanding of how the cerebellum may shape the developing brain.
Raquel Murcia Ramon
Instituto de Neurociencias (Universidad Miguel Hernández-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas), Sant Joan d'Alacant 03550, Alicante, Spain
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Brain-wide mapping of developmental trajectories of cerebellar efferent projections, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, November 2025, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2521091122.
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