A functional model of the olivocerebellar system that produces rhythmic activity at gamma frequency

This article presents a simplistic but biologically plausible functional model of the olivocerebellar neural circuitry to investigate its capability to generate rhythmic activity at gamma frequency (40 Hz). The design of the model has a general organization corresponding to that hypothesized by neurobiologists. The cerebellar circuitry is modeled as a dynamical system using cell prototypes similar to the ones used in artificial neural networks, whereas the olivary cells were represented with simple ´on/off´ units. The model works as a unit that converts the irregular and low frequency spikes originating from the olivary cells into regular spikes at 40 Hz at the level of the dentate cells. The success of the model indicates that the olivocerebellar circuitry has the physiological properties to be able to generate such rhythmic activity.