Seminar by Zhenyu Gao

Friday 30 October 2026, at 11:00 AM, at Henri Gastaut meeting room, INT

Zhenyu Gao (Erasmus Medical Center, Netherlands) invited by Nicolas Meirhaeghe

Convergence-Divergence of Cortico-Cerebellar pathways and functional considerations

Abstract: Sensorimotor computation depends on synergistic activity across cortical and cerebellar regions. Once thought to operate in a largely region-specific manner, these structures are now recognized as integral parts of sophisticated, interconnected networks. A critical step toward understanding how these networks function together is to precisely map the cerebro-cerebellar connections that support specific sensorimotor tasks. In this talk, I will present results from our recent investigations into the anatomical and functional architecture of cerebro-cerebellar circuits. Our findings reveal extensive convergent and divergent pathways within this circuitry and support a framework of multiregional interactions across functional domains within and beyond the cerebellum. I will discuss how these interactions across brain regions contribute to motor planning, motor control, and timing.

Zhenyu Gao completed his undergraduate studies in Biotechnology at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. He obtained his MSc in Neuroscience in Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and his PhD in Neuroscience from the Department of Neuroscience at Erasmus Medical Center, the Netherlands. His doctoral research focused on cerebellar circuits underlying motor learning and motor function. He is currently an Associate Professor at Erasmus Medical Center, where his team combines behavioral, anatomical, and physiological approaches to investigate bidirectional interactions between the cerebellum and other brain regions in rodents and humans.