Role of the spinocerebellar loop for the execution and learning of the motor skill

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K01498
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Developmental mechanisms and the body works
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: YANAGIHARA Dai 東京大学, 大学院総合文化研究科, 准教授 (90252725)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 舩戸 徹郎 電気通信大学, 大学院情報理工学研究科, 准教授 (40512869) ; 青井 伸也 京都大学, 工学研究科, 講師 (60432366)
• Research Collaborator: FUJIKI Soichiro 東京大学, 大学院総合文化研究科, 助教
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 歩行 / 小脳 / 脊髄 / 適応 / 筋骨格モデル / 神経制御モデル / 動力学シミュレーション

Outline of Final Research Achievements

It is generally accepted that the nervous system achieve adaptability of locomotion in diverse environments by controlling the redundant musculoskeletal systems. An available tool that has been used to investigate the locomotor adaptation in humans and animals is the split-belt treadmill. When the belt speed in the split-belt treadmill changes to asymmetric condition, animals as well as humans show immediate and gradual adaptation in locomotion parameters. Previous studies have shown that the cerebellum has a critical involvement for the gradual adaptation. In this study, we have the neurophysiological experiments in rodents and the dynamic simulation by the constructed neuromusculoskeletal model of the rat. When we incorporated a cerebellar model to change the temporal locomotion parameters based on the error information of foot timings, the gradual adaptation was observed. These findings will improve the understanding of the spinocerebellar loop for the adaptability of locomotion.

Free Research Field

運動生理学・神経生理学