Topic 8b:

Question 1

how does the cerebellum play a role in prediction?

Answer 1

Cerebellum compares prediction to outcome, if there is a difference, it updates the motor cortex

Example: motor cortex > body: commands required to throw
the ball at the target
A copy of this is sent to the cerebellum > Predict outcome:
ball hits target

Question 2

The role of the cerebellum in prediction

Answer 2

Cerebellar patients show impairments in both force-field and visuomotor adaptation.
Impairments are related to specific degradation of cerebellar areas.
Force-field: anterior lobe of cerebellum
Visuomotor: posterior lobe of cerebellum
Therefore, the cerebellum appears to perform the same function (prediction) across tasks with each being related to specific regions.

Question 3

What are other examples of ‘motor prediction’

Answer 3

‘state’ estimation
impaired ability to make accurate movements, you think you are earlier because you’re using sensory feedback as oppose to cerebellum prediction

expected and unexpected errors:

Hand eye coordination: Coordination/tracking depends on predictive knowledge of the outcome of intended actions

Question 4

The importance of prediction: Ronald versus Ronaldo

Answer 4

The ability to predict the sensory outcomes of your motor commands is essential for:
Fast responses as you do not need to ‘wait’ for slow sensory feedback to update your behaviour (i.e. the ability to correct errors in fast movements).
Performing actions when sensory feedback is not available or poor quality (i.e. in darkness).
Ability to predict upcoming actions based on the outcomes of the current one (i.e increasing planning horizon).
This ability is associated with highly skilled behaviour, with athletes consistently showing greater cerebellar grey matter volume

Question 5

why is younger not always better?

Answer 5

cerebellum gets better with age
adapt better

Question 7

summary

Answer 7

The cerebellum is essential for prediction within the motor system. This enables the performance of fast and accurate movements.
This ability is key for skilled performance (athletes & musicians) and appears to develop across childhood.
This ability is severely impaired in patients with cerebellar disease (apraxia).
The cerebellum has reciprocal connections to all areas of the cortex. It is hypothesized that the cerebellum plays a similar role in prediction across domains (from language to working memory and arithmetic).
Non-invasive brain stimulation (tdcs) of the cerebellum can enhance our ability to predict but results are difficult to replicate.