Impaired vestibular-proprioceptive interaction in cerebellar patients

Background: Vestibulo-spinal reflexes depend on adequate interaction between vestibular and proproceptive signals. Animal experiments indicate that the cerebellum is involved in this fundamental task. Cerebellar disease often leads to deficits in motor control, e.g. stance and gait ataxia. This study examines if vestibular-proprioceptive interaction might be one clinically relevant component of motor disturbance in cerebellar disease. Methods: Patients with cerebellar disorders of different etiology and normal controls were subjected to sinusoidal galvanic vestibular stimulation (0.16Hz) while standing on a forc…