Purkinje cells of the cerebellum (400X)

Purkinje cells form the heart of the cerebellar circuit. They receive more synaptic inputs than any other type of cell in the brain. Estimates of the number of spines on a single human Purkinje cell run as high as 200,000!

The strongest clues to the function of the cerebellum have come from examining the consequences of damage to it. Animals and humans with cerebellar dysfunction show, above all, problems with motor control. They continue to be able to generate motor activity but lose precision, producing erratic, uncoordinated, or incorrectly timed movements.

Alcohol inhibits Na+-K+ pumps in the cerebellum and this is likely how it corrupts cerebellar computation and body co-ordination.