Cerebellar Prediction of the Dynamic Sensory Consequences of Gravity

Current Biology : CB
Isabelle MackrousKathleen E Cullen

Abstract

As we go about our everyday activities, our brain computes accurate estimates of both our motion relative to the world and our orientation relative to gravity. However, how the brain then accounts for gravity as we actively move and interact with our environment is not yet known. Here, we provide evidence that, although during passive movements, individual cerebellar output neurons encode representations of head motion and orientation relative to gravity, these gravity-driven responses are cancelled when head movement is a consequence of voluntary generated movement. In contrast, the gravity-driven responses of primary otolith and semicircular canal afferents remain intact during both active and passive self-motion, indicating the attenuated responses of central neurons are not inherited from afferent inputs. Taken together, our results are consistent with the view that the cerebellum builds a dynamic prediction (e.g., internal model) of the sensory consequences of gravity during active self-motion, which in turn enables the preferential encoding of unexpected motion to ensure postural and perceptual stability.

Citations

Jul 4, 2020·Cognitive Neuropsychology·Kathleen E Cullen, Lin Wang
Jan 29, 2020·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Jean Laurens, Dora E Angelaki
Mar 12, 2020·Scientific Reports·Wonjun NohSunggu Yang
Oct 4, 2020·Neuroscience·Priscilla BalestrucciAlessandro Moscatelli
Feb 11, 2021·Journal of Neurophysiology·Mark L Latash
May 7, 2021·Current Opinion in Physiology·Kathleen E Cullen, Omid A Zobeiri
Jul 13, 2021·Frontiers in Neuroscience·Kathleen E Cullen, Rui-Han Wei

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