Parasagittal zones in the vestibulocerebellum contain Purkinje cells whose complex spike (CS) activity is modulated in response to rotational optokinetic stimulation (OKS) about either the vertical axis (VA) or a horizontal axis (HA) that is approximately perpendicular to the ipsilateral anterior canal. In rabbits, there are two VA zones in both the ventral nodulus and flocculus, two HA zones in the flocculus, and one HA zone in the ventral nodulus. We investigated the temporal relationship of the CS activity of Purkinje cell pairs in the same or different zones of the vestibulocerebellum in ketamine-anesthetized pigmented rabbits. A synchronous temporal relationship was defined as the tendency of the CS of each Purkinje cell to fire within, at most, 2 msec of one another. Generally, neurons in the same zone showed a tendency to exhibit CS synchrony. Of 82 pairs consisting of two Purkinje cells in the same zone (e.g., two nodulus HA cells), 33 were synchronous. In contrast, none of 26 pairs consisting of two neurons in functionally different zones (e.g., a VA cell paired with an HA cell), showed CS synchrony. Pairs consisting of neurons in spatially separated VA zones in the ventral nodulus also showed a tendency to be synchronously related (6/16), as did pairs consisting of a nodulus VA cell and a flocculus VA cell (3/14). The CS synchrony was higher during OKS in the preferred direction than during spontaneous activity. This is the first demonstration that CS synchrony in the vestibulocerebellum can be manipulated with a natural sensory stimulus.

In researching the communication mechanisms between cells of the immune system, visualization of proteins in three dimensions can be used to determine which proteins are capable of interacting with one another at a given time by showing their spatial colocality. Volume data sets are created using digital confocal immunofluorescence microscopy. A variety of visualization approaches are then used to examine the interactions. These include volume rendering, isosurface extraction, and virtual reality. Based on our experiences, we have concluded that no single one of these approaches provides a complete solution for visualizing biological data. However, in combination, their respective strengths complement one another to provide an understanding of the data.

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