Lesions causing freezing of gait are located within a common functional network characterized by connectivity to the cerebellar locomotor region, a recent study found. 14 cases of lesion-induced freezing of gait were identified from medical literature, and lesions were mapped to a common brain atlas. Since lesion-induced symptoms can come from sites connected to the lesion location, not just the lesion location itself, researchers also identified brain regions functionally connected to each lesion location. They found:

• Lesion location was heterogeneous, and no single region could be considered necessary for symptom generation.
• However, > 90% (13 of 14) of lesions were functionally connected to a focal area in the dorsal medial cerebellum.
• This cerebellar area overlapped previously recognized regions that are activated by locomotor tasks, termed the cerebellar locomotor region.
• Connectivity to this region was specific to lesions causing freezing of gait compared to lesions causing other movement disorders (hemichorea or asterixis).