The cerebellum and visually controlled movements

I will review some of the data from human and animal models pointing to a critical role for the cerebellum in the control of visually-guided movements. There are now several contrasting theories that suggest what this role may be; evidence from functional imaging, lesion studies, anatomy, and computational modelling supports the theory that the cerebellum forms a forward model of the motor system. This may be used for control (as suggested by the 'Smith Predictor' hypothesis); it may also under-lie a cerebellar role in co-ordination, motor planning and in predicting the sensory consequences of movements.