Trace eyeblink conditioning in patients with cerebellar degeneration: comparison of short and long trace intervals

Introduction: Since trace eyeblink conditioning has been found impaired in animals and humans following lesions of the interposed nucleus, the cerebellum has been proposed to play a role in this form of hippocampally dependent associative learning. The aim of the present study was to clarify whether or not the cerebellar cortex may contribute to trace eyeblink conditioning in humans. Methods: Eight patients with degenerative cerebellar disorders (four with sporadic adult onset ataxia, three with autosomal dominant cerebellar ataxia type III and one patient with spinocerebellar ataxia type 6) and eight age- and s…