Skip to main content
Log in

Does the cerebellum play a role in podokinetic adaptation?

  • Research Note
  • Published:
Experimental Brain Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

After sustained stepping in-place on a rotating disc, healthy subjects will inadvertently turn in circles when asked to step in-place on a stationary surface with eyes closed. We asked whether the cerebellum is important for this adaptive phenomenon, called podokinetic after-rotation (PKAR). Subjects with cerebellar degeneration and age-matched control subjects performed 15 min of stepping in-place with eyes open on a rotating disc, then 30 min of attempting to step in-place with eyes closed on a stationary surface. Rotational velocity of PKAR was measured during this 30-min period. All control subjects demonstrated PKAR; average initial rotational velocity for control subjects was 16.4±3.5 °/s. Five of the eight cerebellar subjects demonstrated impaired PK adaptation, defined as PKAR with an initial velocity more than two standard deviations below the control mean initial velocity. Average initial rotational velocity for cerebellar subjects was 7.8±0.2 °/s. Impaired PK adaptation was not associated with impaired time constants of decay and was not correlated with variability of PKAR velocity. Our results suggest that the cerebellum is important for regulation of the amplitude of PK adaptation and that reduced PKAR amplitude is not likely the result of dyscoordination or variability of movement in the subjects tested.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gammon M. Earhart.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Earhart, G.M., Fletcher, W.A., Horak, F.B. et al. Does the cerebellum play a role in podokinetic adaptation?. Exp Brain Res 146, 538–542 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-002-1238-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00221-002-1238-y

Keywords

Navigation