Procedural memory and brain SPECT: blood flow evaluation in the cerebellum and pre-frontal cortex during a visuo-motor task

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the cerebral blood flow in the cerebellar (4 sub-regions) and pre-frontal cortex, when subjects were in rest and during a motor task performance. The sample consisted of 8 healthy subjects, male or female, between 23 and 36 of age. The visuo-motor task - implicit memory - requires the subjects to navigate and swerve a graphic submarine from missiles that run on the screen. Semi-quantitative analysis with brain SPECT (99mTc-ECD) was used to evaluate regional perfusion. The results revealed an increased activity in all areas of interest during motor task. In conclusion, four sub-regions of cerebellar cortex and both pre-frontal hemispheres showed a simultaneous activation during task. Moreover, our findings suggest as seen in previous experiments that the central nervous system operates in a parallel fashion, in order to integrate sensory and motor information.