Outline for a Theory of Motor Behavior: Involving Cooperative Actions of the Cerebellum, Basal Ganglia, and Cerebral Cortex

Cerebellum means little brain. Cerebrum, of course, also means brain, but has come to refer primarily to the cerebral cortex and basal ganglia. One of the most vexing problems in brain physiology remains identifying the roles of these three structures in the selection and control of behavior. Unfortunately, researchers often study the cerebellum, cerebral cortex and basal ganglia independently. Indeed, many motor systems specialists often use the term “cortex” without modification despite the fact that both the forebrain and cerebellum have a cortex important in the control of movement. We set in this chapter, therefore, the objective of collective consideration of these three parts of the brain and their cooperative control functions. Our outline sketches one speculative view of how the cerebellum, basal ganglia and cerebral cortex might process information in a cooperative manner to establish goals, plan strategies and then program and implement a complex motor behavior.