ATAXIC BREATHING DURING ALTERNATING FOREARM MOVEMENTS OF VARIOUS FREQUENCIES IN CEREBELLAR PATIENTS

Breathing was analyzed at rest and during sinusoidal tracking movement s of the forearm of the dominant side at various frequencies in 11 pat ients with a cerebellar impairment and in 9 healthy subjects. In the p atients, breathing movements were always rhythmical as in normal subje cts during rest, but sometimes were interrupted by intermittent breath ing-arrests during tracking (breathing ataxia). In 9 of the 11 cerebel lar patients, the normal phase relationships between breathing and for earm movements at target frequencies in the spontaneous breathing rate range were absent. Thus patients with cerebellar lesions not only sho w disturbed skeletomotor movements, but also show an impaired coordina tion between breathing and limb movements.