Luigi Luciani (1840-1919) - the Italian Claude Bernard with German shaping, and his studies on the cerebellum with projections to nowadays

Abstract

Luigi Luciani (1840-1919) was an illustrious Italian citizen and physiologist
whose research scope covered mainly cardiovascular subjects, the nervous system, and fasting. He published in 1891 a modern landmark of the study of cerebellar physiology - “Il cervelletto: nuovistudi di normal and pathología physiology” / “The cerebellum: new studies on normal and pathological physiology.” In his experiment, a dog survived after cerebellectomy, reporting a triad of symptoms (asthenia, atonia, and astasia). In this way, the eminent neurophysiologist improved the operative technique and sterile processes to
redirect the issue of cerebellar symptoms. Luciani died at age 78, a hundred years ago, and left mainly the understanding of the role of the cerebellum in regulating postural tone and muscle strength, which represented a step forward in understanding cerebellar motor physiology. In recent decades, cognitive / affective function has been added to the cerebellar motor, and there has also been a better understanding of cerebellar circuits.