Latency to fall in rotarod task for mice tested with various inhibition of cerebellar nuclei neurons and corresponding control groups
Data files
Mar 26, 2026 version files 41.40 KB
Abstract
This dataset represents the latency to fall in fixed-speed and accelerating rotarod tasks in mice. The accelerating rotarod protocol is conducted over 7 days, with 7 trials per day for each mouse. In the fixed-speed rotarod protocol, each mouse is exposed to each speed once.
Two sets of experiments are included. In the first set, mice receive either sham or adeno-associated virus (AAV) bilateral injections into the cerebellar nuclei (CN) to express an genetically engineered receptor (Designer Receptor Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs or "DREADD") inhibiting the neurons when activated by the synthetic molecule (clozapine-N-oxyide, CNO). Mice in both the sham and DREADD groups perform the rotarod task either with CNO or saline administered during the 7 days of training, or with CNO/saline administered after each session to assess effects on the overnight consolidation of the learning that took place within each day.
In the second set of experiments, the effect of selective inhibition of CN subpopulation is investigated. All mice receive AAV injections to express the inhibitory DREADD selectively in neurons projecting to either the centrolateral thalamus (CN–CL mice) or the ventral anterior lateral thalamus (CN–VAL mice). These mice receive either saline or CNO over the 7 days. In these groups, treatments are administered either during the learning phase or after each session.
Overall, this dataset enables the study of the effects of inhibiting cerebellar output on motor learning.
Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.51c59zwpw
Description of the data and file structure
The files contain the latency to fall which characterizes the performance of mice on the accelerating rotarod for different groups of mice receiving different sort of inhibition of the cerebellar nuclei neurons while, or just after, they undergo 7 trials of accelerating rotarod trial. The groups of mice are described in the publication Varani et al. Elife 2026.
Files and variables
File: all_groups_fixed_speed_rotarod_latency2fall.csv
Description: Performance of different groups of mice exposed to 4 different fixed speed rotarod. This is a control experiment to test that mice are able to run normally on the rotarod under the different sorts of treatments.
Variables
- Latency to fall presented with 1 column per mouse. The first column indicates the speed
File: CN_inhibition_accelerating_rotarod_latency2fall.csv
Description: Performance of the different sets of mice receiving saline or CNO, during or after the daily sessions, after receiving either a Sham or AAV injections expressing inhibitiory DREADDs in the cerebellar nuclei.
Variables:
- Latency to fall presented with 1 line per mouse. The first column indicates when the treatement is active (during or after the session), the second column indicates the treatment, the third column indicates the mouse, and then each column provides the measure for each mouse, each day, each trial.
File: CN_thal_inhibition_accelerating_rotarod_latency2fall.csv
Description: Performance of the different sets of mice receiving saline or CNO, during or after the daily sessions, after receiving AAV injections expressing inhibitiory DREADDs in the cerebellar nuclei conditioned to the Cre recombinase, expressed in the cerebellar nuclei via retrograde infection from the CL or VAL thalamus using CAV virus injections.
Variables:
- Latency to fall presented with 1 line per mouse. The first column indicates which cerebello-thalamic neurons expressed the DREADD and when the treatement is active (during or after the session), the second column indicates the mouse, and then each column provides the measure for each mouse, each day, each trial.
File: CN_thal_reverse_treatment_accelerating_rotarod_latency2fall.csv
Description: Performance of the different sets of mice after a shift of treatment on days 8 and 9 for mice expressing inhibitory DREADDs in different cerebello-thalamic neurons. Mice which learned with CNO present during the sessions of the previous 7 days are tested with Saline injections during the days 8 and 9, and mice which learned under Saline during 7 days are tested with CNO injections during days 8 and 9. Performance of days 8 and 9 are reported in this file.
Variables:
- Latency to fall presented with 1 line per mouse. The first column indicates which cerebello-thalamic neurons expressed the DREADD and which treatment shift is operated (CNO->Saline or Saline->CNO) , the second column indicates the mouse, and then each column provides the measure for each mouse, each day, each trial.