Dr. James Garbern, associate professor of neurology at Wayne State's School of Medicine, commented about apraxia, a rare neurological condition that makes it nearly impossible for patients to stand up because their cerebellum, the part of the brain that controls motor movement, is shrunken. Worldwide, apraxia is most common in Japan and Portugal. In Portugal, nearly one person in every 18,000 people suffers from similar complications, according to Garbern.