Effects of cerebellectomy on motivation-related behavior: a time-course study.

The open field behavior and learning capacity of male rats of the Wistar strain was studied 1, 2, and 6 months after cerebellectomy (CBX). The results show a decrease in locomotor activity 1 month after CBX and thereafter a slow recovery. Grooming behavior was still normal after 1 month, but it decreased 2 months after CBX. Learning capacity, as assessed by the shuttle-box test, was remarkably decreased in cerebellectomized animals 1 month after operation. A significant impairment of memory capacity was also observed in rats tested for passive avoidance behavior 2 months after CBX. A partial recovery of this parameter was present 6 months after operation. These results support the hypothesis of a possible influence of cerebellum on motivation-related behaviors, independently of its modulatory role on motricity.