GRASPING CEREBELLAR FUNCTION DEPENDS ON OUR UNDERSTANDING THE PRINCIPLES OF SENSORIMOTOR INTEGRATION - THE FRAME OF REFERENCE HYPOTHESIS

The cerebellum probably obeys the rules of sensorimotor integration co mmon in the nervous system. One such a rule is formulated: the nervous system organizes spatial frames of reference for the sensorimotor app aratus and produces voluntary movements by shifting their origin point s. We give examples of spatial frames of reference for different singl e- and multi-joint movements including locomotion and also illustrate that the process of motor development and learning may depend critical ly on the formation of appropriate frames of reference and the organis m's ability to manage them. We suggest that a solution to the problem of sensorimotor integration may not be trivial and may actually change the mental and experimental paradigms used in the understanding of th e cerebellum and other brain structures.