Cerebro-cerebellar interactions underlying anticipatory postural adjustments

2020 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 18K10955
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 59030:Physical education, and physical and health education-related
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: YANAGIHARA DAI 東京大学, 大学院総合文化研究科, 教授 (90252725)
• Project Period (FY): 2018-04-01 – 2021-03-31
• Keywords: 姿勢制御 / 予測 / 小脳 / ラット / 数理モデル

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Our brains predict the consequences of its own movements and contribute to minimize a forthcoming disturbance; the feedforward postural controls have been addressed as anticipatory postural adjustments. We compared postural reactions to repetitive perturbations in cerebellar-lesioned rats with those of controls using a classical conditioning paradigm. The conditioning stimulus that consisted of an visual cue preceded the unconditioned stimulus that consisted of tilting of the platform during bipedal standing in rat. During conditioning, control rats established conditioned postural responses. However, the cerebellar-lesioned rats were unable to acquire the conditioned postural reactions. A posture control model based on the internal model was constructed and evaluated by comparison with the results of behavioral data. The results suggested that the postural control with learning in the cerebellum can be explained by the anticipatory control based on the internal model.

Free Research Field

運動生理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

予測的姿勢制御については、アスリートを含む健常者のほか、脊髄小脳変性症及び脳卒中患者を対象に身体運動の運動学的な現象として、あるいは脳疾患時の病態としては明らかになりつつあるが、その発現に関わる神経機構は未だ解明されていなかった。本研究の研究成果は、様々なスキルトレーニング方法の開発にも重要な示唆を与えるとともに、予測的姿勢制御の異常・障害は、小脳疾患だけでなく脳梗塞や認知症などにおいても認められており、歩行機能障害や転倒などの主要な要因となっていることから、今後に直面する超高齢社会において、高齢者の転倒事故を予防するための転倒リスクマネージメントのための基礎研究としても重要な示唆を与える。