Functional Capacity and Motor Performance of Upper Limbs in Individuals with Cerebellar Disorders: A Pilot Study

In simple daily activities carried out by the upper limbs, the cerebellum is responsible for the adaptations required for the accurate movement based on previous experiences and external references. This paper aims to characterize the performance of the upper limbs after a cerebellar disease. We eva...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Behavioural neurology 2017-01, Vol.2017 (2017), p.1-7
Main Authors: Banjai, Renata Morales, Paiva Silva, Flávia P. de, de Freitas, Sandra Maria Sbeghen Ferreira, Giangiardi, Vivian Farahte, Alouche, Sandra Regina
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation
Adult
Aged
Analysis
Brain
Cerebellar Diseases - physiopathology
Female
Hand Strength - physiology
Humans
Male
Medical research
Medicine, Experimental
Middle Aged
Movement - physiology
Neurosciences
Pilot Projects
Planning
Psychomotor Performance - physiology
Sociodemographics
Upper Extremity - physiopathology
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:In simple daily activities carried out by the upper limbs, the cerebellum is responsible for the adaptations required for the accurate movement based on previous experiences and external references. This paper aims to characterize the performance of the upper limbs after a cerebellar disease. We evaluated the digital and handgrip strength, dexterity, and function of the upper limbs. The motor performance of the upper limbs was assessed through the use of a digitizing tablet by performing aiming movements with the upper limb most affected by cerebellar disease and the paired limb of the healthy group. The results showed differences between groups: the cerebellar group had higher latency to movement onset, was slower, and presented less smooth trajectories and higher initial direction errors. Moreover, the movement direction influenced the peak velocity and the smoothness for both groups (contralateral directions were slower and less smooth). We concluded that cerebellar disorder leads to movement planning impairment compromising the formulation of an internal model. Alterations on movement execution seem to be a consequence from disruptions in the anticipatory model, leading to more adaptations. These findings are compatible with the roles of the cerebellum on the control of voluntary movement.
ISSN:0953-4180
1875-8584
DOI:10.1155/2017/8980103