Cerebellum Motor Learning Flashcards
What are cerebellohypothalamic fibers?
cerebellar nuclei sending crossed projection to the hypothalamus
Via which peduncle does the cerebellohypothalamic fibers send?
superior cerebellar peduncle
through the cerebellum and hypothalamic connections, the cerebellum might receive what input?
visceral input and influence neurons that control visceral functions
What are some visceral deficits that are seen with cerebellar damage? (remember these often go unreported because the somatomotor deficits are greater)
- decrease in heart rate and BP
- changes in vascular resistance
- changes in pupil diameter
It is often difficult to separate the effects of cerebellar dysfunction on motor learning to what other function?
those related to motor performance
The effects of cerebellar dysfunction are somewhat dependent on what?
the type of behavior being learned
What different aspects of the learning process of motor behaviors is the cerebellum involved in?
acquisition
consolidation
memory storage of movement patterns
What two relatively simple reflexive motor behaviors does the cerebellum play a role in?
- Adaptation of the vestibule-ocular reflex
- Classical (Pavlovian) conditioning of reflexes evoked by aversive stimuli (such as eye blink and withdrawal reflexes)
What activity does the cerebellum play a role in MORE than reflexive motor behaviors?
learning of voluntary, complex motor skills
Can new motor skills be learned with cerebellar dysfunction?
yes!
cerebellar dysfunction results in what symptoms pertaining to motor learning?
- a decrease in the quality & consistency of the learned behaviors
- a slowing of the rate of motor learning
What is active when first learning to perform the task correctly and consistently on successive trials?
cerebellar nuclei
When are cerebellar nuclei less active?
when there is an already learned movement or one where skill is already demonstrated
Patient’s with cerebellar damage can often reproduce already learned skills, therefore there is little evidence of what?
that there is storage in the cerebellum of learned voluntary complex motor skills (that form of storage is likely in the supplementary motor cortex)
What is shown with cerebellar damage and learning?
long term suppression of learned adaptation of reflexes (such as VOR)
