Reconstruction of gait capability of cerebellar ataxia using neuro-engineering procedures

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This is a basic study aiming at reconstructing gait ataxia of cerebellar damaged animals using neuro-engineering procedures. For this purpose, here we elucidated locomotor ataxia of animals following damages of various areas of the cerebellum. Rats with damages of medial cerebellum displayed hypotonia with severe postural instability and locomotor ataxia. Although such locomotor deficits were not prominent in the rats with damages of lateral cerebellum, they became hypokinetsia when they encountered unfamiliar circumstances. By removal of the whole cerebellum, spontaneous movements were mostly disappeared and the rats became akinesia. These results suggest that the cerebellum plays crucial roles in initiation of locomotor behaviors, and the medial and the lateral part may contribute to posture-locomotor synergies and to locomotor adaptation, respectively. Different neuro-engineering procedures will be required to reconstructing gait ataxia with damages of medial and lateral cerebellum.