SORA

Advancing, promoting and sharing knowledge of health through excellence in teaching, clinical practice and research into the prevention and treatment of illness

Normal motor adaptation in cervical dystonia: a fundamental cerebellar computation is intact.

Sadnicka, A; Patani, B; Saifee, TA; Kassavetis, P; Pareés, I; Korlipara, P; Bhatia, KP; Rothwell, JC; Galea, JM; Edwards, MJ (2014) Normal motor adaptation in cervical dystonia: a fundamental cerebellar computation is intact. Cerebellum, 13 (5). pp. 558-567. ISSN 1473-4230 https://doi.org/10.1007/s12311-014-0569-0
SGUL Authors: Edwards, Mark John James Sadnicka, Anna

[img]
Preview
PDF Published Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution.

Download (803kB) | Preview

Abstract

The potential role of the cerebellum in the pathophysiology of dystonia has become a focus of recent research. However, direct evidence for a cerebellar contribution in humans with dystonia is difficult to obtain. We examined motor adaptation, a test of cerebellar function, in 20 subjects with primary cervical dystonia and an equal number of aged matched controls. Adaptation to both visuomotor (distorting visual feedback by 30°) and forcefield (applying a velocity-dependent force) conditions were tested. Our hypothesis was that cerebellar abnormalities observed in dystonia research would translate into deficits of cerebellar adaptation. We also examined the relationship between adaptation and dystonic head tremor as many primary tremor models implicate the cerebellothalamocortical network which is specifically tested by this motor paradigm. Rates of adaptation (learning) in cervical dystonia were identical to healthy controls in both visuomotor and forcefield tasks. Furthermore, the ability to adapt was not clearly related to clinical features of dystonic head tremor. We have shown that a key motor control function of the cerebellum is intact in the most common form of primary dystonia. These results have important implications for current anatomical models of the pathophysiology of dystonia. It is important to attempt to progress from general statements that implicate the cerebellum to a more specific evidence-based model. The role of the cerebellum in this enigmatic disease perhaps remains to be proven.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: © The Author(s) 2014 Open Access This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits any use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and the source are credited.
Keywords: Adaptation, Physiological, Adaptation, Psychological, Adult, Aged, Arm, Biomechanical Phenomena, Cerebellum, Dystonia, Head, Humans, Learning, Middle Aged, Neuropsychological Tests, Physical Stimulation, Psychomotor Performance, Robotics, Severity of Illness Index, Torticollis, Tremor, Visual Perception, Arm, Head, Cerebellum, Humans, Torticollis, Dystonia, Tremor, Severity of Illness Index, Physical Stimulation, Adaptation, Psychological, Learning, Visual Perception, Psychomotor Performance, Neuropsychological Tests, Adaptation, Physiological, Robotics, Adult, Aged, Middle Aged, Biomechanical Phenomena, Spasmodic torticollis, Cerebellum, Forcefield adaptation, Visuomotor adaptation, Motor control, Neurology & Neurosurgery, 1109 Neurosciences, 1702 Cognitive Science
SGUL Research Institute / Research Centre: Academic Structure > Molecular and Clinical Sciences Research Institute (MCS)
Academic Structure > Molecular and Clinical Sciences Research Institute (MCS) > Neuroscience (INCCNS)
Journal or Publication Title: Cerebellum
ISSN: 1473-4230
Language: eng
Dates:
DateEvent
October 2014Published
29 May 2014Published Online
Publisher License: Creative Commons: Attribution 4.0
Projects:
Project IDFunderFunder ID
MR/K00414X/1Medical Research Councilhttp://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000265
WT089698Wellcome Trusthttp://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100004440
PubMed ID: 24872202
Web of Science ID: WOS:000341820900003
Go to PubMed abstract
URI: https://openaccess.sgul.ac.uk/id/eprint/109284
Publisher's version: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12311-014-0569-0

Actions (login required)

Edit Item Edit Item