Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Interhemispheric Transfer of Predictive Force Control During Grasping in Cerebellar Disorders

  • Published:
The Cerebellum Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

When an object is repeatedly grasped and lifted, the balance between grip force (normal to the object’s surface) and lift force (tangential to the object’s surface) is programmed according to the mechanical object features within a few lifts. Information related to the mechanical object properties is easily transferred in between both hands, and the cerebellum may play an essential role for the integration and generalization of this information. Recently, we have shown that the transfer of weight-related information in between both hands is impaired in cerebellar degeneration (Nowak et al., Neuropsychologia, 43:20–27, 2005). Here, we investigated the role of the cerebellum for the inter-manual transfer of friction-related information. Healthy subjects and patients with either focal or generalized cerebellar disorders first repeatedly lifted an object with one hand followed by a series of lifts of the same object with the opposite hand. The experiments were performed with the object’s grip surfaces covered with either silk or sandpaper. Patients and healthy subjects scaled grip force differentially to surface friction within a few lifts. However, the ability to transfer friction-related information from one hand to the other was disturbed in cerebellar patients. We interpret these data within the recent concept that the cerebellum is essential for the rapid integration and generalization of mechanical object features in between both hemispheres when handling objects in the environment.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1.
Fig. 2.

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. We interpret predictive force control within the theoretical framework of internal models being well aware that several theories exist. We have discussed the different theories of internal models within the context of human grip force control earlier in this journal [14]. Nevertheless, we wish to point out that the details of predictive force control have been known and well described long before the concepts of internal models have been developed.

References

  1. Bastian AJ (2006) Learning to predict the future: the cerebellum adapts feedforward movement control. Curr Opin Neurobiol 16:645–649

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Blakemore SJ, Frith CD, Wolpert DM (2001) The cerebellum is involved in predicting the sensory consequences of action. Neuroreport 12:1879–1884

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Espinoza E, Smith AM (1990) Purkinje cell simple spike activity during grasping and lifting objects of different textures and weights. J Neurophysiol 64:698–714

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Fellows SJ, Ernst J, Schwarz M, Töpper R, Noth J (2001) Precision grip in cerebellar disorders in man. Clin Neurophysiol 112:1793–1802

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Flanagan JR, Johansson RS (2002) Hand movements. In: Ramshandran VS (ed) Encyclopedia of the human brain, vol 2. Academic, San Diego, pp 399–414

    Google Scholar 

  6. Gao JH, Parsons LM, Bower JM, Xiong J, Li J, Fox PT (1996) Cerebellum implicated in sensory acquisition and discrimination rather than motor control. Science 272:545–547

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Gordon A, Forssberg H, Iwasaki N (1994) Formation and lateralization of internal representations underlying motor commands during precision grip. Neuropsychologia 32:555–568

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Gordon A, Westling G, Cole K, Johansson R (1993) Memory representation underlying motor commands used during manipulation of common and novel objects. J Neurophysiol 69:1789–1796

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Johansson RS, Westling G (1984) Roles of glabrous skin receptors and sensorimotor memory in automatic control of precision grip when lifting rougher or more slippery objects. Exp Brain Res 56:550–564

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Manto M, Nowak DA, Schutter DJ (2006) Coupling between cerebellar hemispheres and sensory processing. Cerebellum 5(3):187–188

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Middleton FA, Strick PL (1997) Cerebellar output channels. In: Schmahmann JD (ed) The cerebellum and cognition. Academic, San Diego, pp 61–82

    Google Scholar 

  12. Middleton FA, Strick PL (2000) Basal ganglia and cerebellar loops: motor and cognitive circuits. Brain Res Rev 31(2–3):236–250

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Müller F, Dichgans J (1994) Dyscoordination of pinch and lift forces during grasp in patients with cerebellar lesions. Exp Brain Res 101:485–492

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  14. Nowak DA, Topka H, Timmann D, Boecker H, Hermsdörfer J (2007) The role of the cerebellum for predictive control of grasping. Cerebellum 6:7–17

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Nowak DA, Hermsdörfer J, Marquardt C, Fuchs HH (2002) Grip and load force coupling during discrete vertical movements in cerebellar atrophy. Exp Brain Res 145:28–39

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Nowak DA, Hermsdörfer J, Rost K, Timmann D, Topka H (2004) Predictive and reactive finger force control during catching in cerebellar degeneration. Cerebellum 3:227–235

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Nowak DA, Hermsdörfer J, Timmann D, Rost K, Topka H (2005) Impaired generalization of weight-related information in cerebellar degeneration. Neuropsychologia 43:20–27

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Nowak DA, Koupan C, Hermsdörfer J (2007) Formation and decay of sensorimotor and associative memory in object lifting. Eur J Appl Physiol 100:719–726

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Serrien JD, Wiesendanger M (1999) Grip–load coordination in cerebellar patients. Exp Brain Res 128:76–80

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. Smith AM, Dugas C, Fortier P, Kalaska J, Picard N (1993) Comparing cerebellar and motor cortical activity in reaching and grasping. Can J Neurol Sci (Suppl) 3:S53–S61

    Google Scholar 

  21. Soteropoulos DS, Baker SN (2006) Cortico-cerebellar coherence during a precision grip task in the monkey. J Neurophysiol 95:1194–1206

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  22. Trouillas P, Takayanagi T, Hallett M, Currier RD, Subramory SH, Wessel K et al (1997) International cooperative ataxia rating scale for pharmacological assessment of the cerebellar syndrome. The Ataxia Neuropharmacology Committee of the World Federation of Neurology. J Neurol Sci 145:205–211

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  23. Wolpert DM, Miall RC, Kawato M (1998) Internal models in the cerebellum. Trends Cogn Sci 2:338–347

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Wolpert DM, Flanagan JR (2001) Motor prediction. Curr Biol 11:R729–R732

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgment

This research was supported by a grant of the Felgenhauer-Stiftung der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Neurologie (DGN) to Dennis A. Nowak.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany

    Dennis A. Nowak & Mitra Ameli

  2. Institute of Neuroscience and Biophysics (INB3-Medicine), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich, Germany

    Dennis A. Nowak

  3. Clinical Neuropsychology Research Group (EKN), Academic Hospital Bogenhausen, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany

    Andreas Hufnagel & Joachim Hermsdörfer

  4. Department of Neurology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany

    Dagmar Timmann

  5. Neurologische Klinik und Poliklinik, Klinikum der Universität zu Köln, Kerpener Strasse 62, 50924, Cologne, Germany

    Dennis A. Nowak

Authors
  1. Dennis A. Nowak
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Andreas Hufnagel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Mitra Ameli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Dagmar Timmann
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Joachim Hermsdörfer
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Dennis A. Nowak.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Nowak, D.A., Hufnagel, A., Ameli, M. et al. Interhemispheric Transfer of Predictive Force Control During Grasping in Cerebellar Disorders. Cerebellum 8, 108–115 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12311-008-0081-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12311-008-0081-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation