AP PSYCHOLOGY

BIOLOGICAL BASES OF BEHAVIOR

THE NERVOUS AND ENDOCRINE SYSTEMS

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
Identify the activity that would be difficult after sustaining damage to the cerebellum.
A
Speech
B
Walking
C
Breathing
D
Intellectual thought
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -Because cerebellar damage disrupts the brain signals that are responsible for controlling movement, many cerebellar patients have difficulty walking (also called unsteady gait or ataxic gait).

Detailed explanation-2: -It is not known how the cerebellum normally contributes to walking, although recent work suggests that it plays a role in the generation of appropriate patterns of limb movements, dynamic regulation of balance, and adaptation of posture and locomotion through practice.

Detailed explanation-3: -Cerebellar damage leads to poor movement control-for example, reaching motions become irregular, curved, with poor targeting and oscillatory corrective movements.

Detailed explanation-4: -Gait ataxia is one of the most common and debilitating signs of cerebellar damage1 and is characterized by unsteadiness, variable foot placement, widened stance, a veering path of movement, and abnormal inter-joint coordination2–5.

There is 1 question to complete.