Abstract
The cerebellum's involvement in non-motor functions, such as emotional and cognitive processes, has been gaining attention. The functional topography of the cerebellum remains inconclusive, and both clinical and preclinical studies have aimed to identify it to achieve a better understanding of cerebellar neurophysiology and its influence on other brain structures in different functions. The aim of this study was to analyze activation in cerebellar lobules IV-V, VI and VII under different context and temporal conditions of an inhibitory avoidance (IA) task, and to assess the association between c-Fos expression in these lobules and in other brain regions involved in emotional and memory processing. Thirty-three naïve Swiss Albino mice were exposed to the IA box for 1, 4, and 8 days. After the final exposure of each group to the evaluation apparatus, euthanasia was performed, followed by transcardiac perfusion and brain removal. Immunofluorescence analysis of c-Fos in pre-established structures was performed. Significant c-Fos/DAPI ratio was observed in cerebellar lobules IV-V and VI in animals that performed IA task for 4 days. No significant difference in c-Fos expression was found in the other regions of interest. Spearman's Correlation Coefficient test did not indicate any associations between the c-Fos/DAPI ratios across the regions of interest. These results suggest that cerebellar lobules IV-V and VI may be differentially recruited during the IA task, although their specific involvement in emotional and emotional memory processing remains to be determined.