Distribution of mossy fibre rosettes in the cerebellum of cat and mice: evidence for a parasagittal organization at the single fibre level

Mossy fibres are the main afferent input to the granular layer of the cerebellar cortex. In this study, the spatial distribution of the mossy fibres' presynaptic enlargements - the so-called rosettes - were analysed on the single fibre level. Data obtained from the cerebella of cat and mice were compared to look for species differences, and the cerebella of the adult and young mice were also compared to look for developmental changes. The results show that there is a spatial anisotropy in all mossy fibres studied, with neighbouring rosettes being about three times further away from each other along the parasagittal axis and closer to each other in the mediolateral direction. Furthermore, these results suggest that this anisotropy is established at an early developmental stage. The anisotropic orientation of mossy fibres at the single fibre level supports the hypothesis of a timing mechanism in cerebellar function.