Associative learning in patients with cerebellar ataxia.
It has been claimed that patients with cerebellar pathology are impaired at associative learning. Patients with cerebellar ataxia (n = 7) were taught a visual-motor associative task. The task was chosen so as to allow comparisons with data currently being collected on the effects of cerebellar lesions on associative learning in monkeys. As a group the patients were as impaired at learning the task as a group of 8 patients with Huntington's disease. When each patient was individually matched with a control of the same age and IQ, some patients with cerebellar ataxia were found to be clearly impaired, but 2 were not. Of the 4 patients who were most clearly impaired, 2 had brainstem pathology and 2 did not. The relevance of these findings is discussed in relation to views concerning the functions of the cerebellum.
Tucker
J
J
Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, England.
Harding
A E
AE
Jahanshahi
M
M
Nixon
P D
PD
Rushworth
M
M
Quinn
N P
NP
Thompson
P D
PD
Passingham
R E
RE
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001245:Association Learning; D002524:Cerebellar Ataxia / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000502:physiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D005556:Form Perception; D006801:Humans; D006816:Huntington Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D007360:Intelligence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D011930:Reaction Time