Roles of Cerebellum and Basal Ganglia in Initiation and Control of Movements

Theories of function of the cerebellum and basal ganglia are examined in the light of recent experimental findings obtained with the local cooling method, and both are matched against clinical observations. Evidence is summarized for a programming and initiating role in monkeys' elbow movements of the lateral, and to a lesser degree, intermediate, cerebellum. Cooling either nuclei affected movements, but neither seemed to be important for precentral cortical unit discharge accompanying compensation for suddenly applied load pulses. The globus pallidus seemed to be importantly involved in movement guidance in the absence of vision.