Purkinje Cell (subset of cerebellum; 1888–1889)

Illustration of Cajal's Purkinje scientific drawing by Dawn Hunter, 11" x 14," marker and pen on paper.

Purkinje Cell (subset of cerebellum; 1888–1889), the Purkinje cell develops from the human cerebellum which exists at the rear section of the head under the name “little brain.” The cerebellum functions as the main control center which enables us to maintain balance and coordinate our movements for performing both simple and complex motor activities. The cerebellar output originates from Purkinje cells which need strict control for proper motor function to occur. Critical to the regulation of Purkinje cell output are basket cells, which modulate Purkinje cell activity through a specialized synaptic arrangement known as the pinceau formation. In this structure, fine, brush-like basket cell axons surround and contact the Purkinje cell bodies. In 1888, Cajal described the pinceau, correctly distinguishing basket cells and Purkinje cells as separate entities during an era when the nervous system was still debated as a continuous reticulum.