[1][2] Any newly formed motor skill, such as learning to play a musical instrument or adjusting one's running stride, is subject to a consolidation period.
This left him unable to form new declarative memories (anterograde amnesia), while his ability to learn novel motor tasks remained intact.
[5][6] For instance, in order to reach for a cup of coffee, a person must have an implicit understanding of the mass of their own arm, and how specific patterns of muscle activation will change the position of that limb.
[17] Damage to the cerebellum can occur through a number of causes including trauma, alcoholism, chronic degenerative diseases such as olivopontocerebellar atrophy, and genetic developmental disorders.
[21] This points to the importance of the basal ganglia, the primary target of Parkinson's disease, in creating the new sensory/motor mappings that are necessary for the long term retention of a motor skill.