Trace eyeblink conditioning in human subjects with focal cerebellar lesions

Introduction: Delay eyeblink conditioning, a model for associative motor learning in which the conditioned stimulus (CS) overlaps and coterminates with the unconditioned stimulus (US), has been shown to be dependent on the cerebellum. The more complex trace eyeblink conditioning is characterized by a stimulus-free trace interval that separates the CS and the US. It has been shown to be reduced following hippocampal lesions in animals and humans. Animal lesion studies suggest that cerebellar structures may be equally involved in trace eyeblink conditioning and may provide the essential stimulus response associati…