Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

We have used positron tomography (PET) to demonstrate that some parts of the motor system exhibit physiological adaptation during the repeated performance of a simple motor task, but others do not. In contrast to the primary sensori-motor cortex, the cerebellum exhibits a decrease in physiological activation (increases in regional blood flow during performance) with practice. A new application of factorial experimental design to PET activation studies was used to make these measurements in four normal males. This design allowed adaptation to be examined by testing for an interaction between regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) increases brought about by a motor task and the number of trials (time). These findings are interpreted as the neurophysiological correlates of synaptic changes in the cerebellum associated with motor learning in man.

Original publication

DOI

10.1098/rspb.1992.0065

Type

Journal article

Journal

Proc Biol Sci

Publication Date

22/06/1992

Volume

248

Pages

223 - 228

Keywords

Adaptation, Physiological, Adult, Cerebellum, Cerebrovascular Circulation, Humans, Male, Neurophysiology, Psychomotor Performance, Synapses, Tomography, Emission-Computed