Cerebellar contribution to sensorimotor adaptation deficits in humans with spinal cord injury

Scientific Reports, 2021 · DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-77543-8 · Published: January 1, 2021

Simple Explanation

The study investigated how spinal cord injury (SCI) affects the ability to adapt movements to new demands, focusing on the cerebellum's role. Using a robotic exoskeleton, the researchers examined how people with SCI learn a sensorimotor adaptation task during reaching movements, compared to control subjects. The results suggest that the reduced ability to learn from movement errors in individuals with SCI is linked to abnormalities in the spinocerebellar structures.

Study Duration

Not specified

Participants

22 individuals with chronic incomplete cervical SCI and 22 age-matched control subjects

Evidence Level

Not specified

Key Findings

1
Individuals with SCI showed a reduced ability to learn from movement errors compared to control subjects during a reaching task.
2
Structural brain imaging revealed that sensorimotor areas in the cerebellum, particularly lobules I–VI, were smaller in SCI patients compared to controls.
3
The degree of spared tissue in the cerebellum was positively correlated with learning rates, indicating that less cerebellar atrophy was associated with higher learning rates.

Research Summary

This study investigates the impact of spinal cord injury (SCI) on sensorimotor adaptation learning, focusing on the cerebellum's contribution to these deficits. The researchers found that individuals with SCI exhibit a reduced capacity to learn from movement errors compared to uninjured controls, and this is associated with cerebellar atrophy. The study concludes that abnormalities in the spinocerebellar structures are implicated in the motor adaptation deficits observed in humans with chronic incomplete cervical SCI.

Practical Implications

Rehabilitation Strategies

The findings suggest that rehabilitation strategies for people with SCI should consider the impact of cerebellar atrophy on sensorimotor adaptation.

Non-invasive Stimulation

Non-invasive stimulation of the cerebellum might be a potential strategy to enhance visuo-motor interactions after SCI.

Predictive Motor Control

Enhancing the ability to make sensory predictions could improve subsequent movements during practice, especially given altered sensory input after SCI.

Study Limitations

1
The study cannot completely exclude the possibility that other brain regions or spinal cord networks also affected the results.
2
The sample size for the MRI portion of the study was smaller due to participant availability and hardware compatibility issues.
3
The study did not directly assess the specific mechanisms by which cerebellar atrophy leads to impaired error learning.

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