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Cerebellum (London, England) Feb 2016Cerebellar dysfunction is evident in several developmental disorders, including autism, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and developmental dyslexia, and... (Review)
Review
Cerebellar dysfunction is evident in several developmental disorders, including autism, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and developmental dyslexia, and damage to the cerebellum early in development can have long-term effects on movement, cognition, and affective regulation. Early cerebellar damage is often associated with poorer outcomes than cerebellar damage in adulthood, suggesting that the cerebellum is particularly important during development. Differences in cerebellar development and/or early cerebellar damage could impact a wide range of behaviors via the closed-loop circuits connecting the cerebellum with multiple cerebral cortical regions. Based on these anatomical circuits, behavioral outcomes should depend on which cerebro-cerebellar circuits are affected. Here, we briefly review cerebellar structural and functional differences in autism, ADHD, and developmental dyslexia, and discuss clinical outcomes following pediatric cerebellar damage. These data confirm the prediction that abnormalities in different cerebellar subregions produce behavioral symptoms related to the functional disruption of specific cerebro-cerebellar circuits. These circuits might also be crucial to structural brain development, as peri-natal cerebellar lesions have been associated with impaired growth of the contralateral cerebral cortex. The specific contribution of the cerebellum to typical development may therefore involve the optimization of both the structure and function of cerebro-cerebellar circuits underlying skill acquisition in multiple domains; when this process is disrupted, particularly in early development, there could be long-term alterations of these neural circuits, with significant impacts on behavior.
Topics: Animals; Cerebellum; Humans; Neurodevelopmental Disorders
PubMed: 26298473
DOI: 10.1007/s12311-015-0715-3 -
Neuron Oct 2013Twenty-five years ago the first human functional neuroimaging studies of cognition discovered a surprising response in the cerebellum that could not be attributed to... (Review)
Review
Twenty-five years ago the first human functional neuroimaging studies of cognition discovered a surprising response in the cerebellum that could not be attributed to motor demands. This controversial observation challenged the well-entrenched view that the cerebellum solely contributes to the planning and execution of movement. Recurring neuroimaging findings combined with key insights from anatomy and case studies of neurological patients motivated a reconsideration of the traditional model of cerebellar organization and function. The majority of the human cerebellum maps to cerebral association networks in an orderly manner that includes a mirroring of the prominent cerebral asymmetries for language and attention. These findings inspire exploration of the cerebellum's contributions to a diverse array of functional domains and neuropsychiatric disorders.
Topics: Cerebellum; Cognition; History, 20th Century; History, 21st Century; Humans; Neural Pathways; Neuroanatomy; Neuroimaging
PubMed: 24183029
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2013.10.044 -
Revista de NeurologiaThe cerebellum is a neural structure, of a crystalline like organization, present in all vertebrates. Its progressive growth from fishes to mammals, and particularly in... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
The cerebellum is a neural structure, of a crystalline like organization, present in all vertebrates. Its progressive growth from fishes to mammals, and particularly in primates, takes place following the repetition of a primitive cellular plan and connectivity.
DEVELOPMENT
The cerebellum is organized in folia located one behind the other in the rostrocaudal axis, and placed transversally on the brain stem. The cerebellar cortex has five types of neuron: Purkinje, stellate, basket, Golgi and granule cells. Apart from granule cells, the other cell types are inhibitory in nature. Afferent fibers to the cerebellar cortex are of two types (mossy and climbing) and carry information from somatosensory, vestibular, acoustic and visual origins, as well as from the cerebral cortex and other brain stem and spinal motor centers. The only neural output from the cerebellar cortex is represented by Purkinje axons that synapse on the underlying deep nuclei. Cerebellar nuclei send their axons towards many brain stem centers and, by thalamic relay nuclei, act on different cortical areas. Functionally, the cerebellum seems to be organized in small modules, similar in structure, but different in the origin and end of their afferent and efferent fibers. The cerebellum is involved in the coordination or integration of motor and cognitive processes.
CONCLUSION
Although cerebellar lesion does not produce severe motor paralysis, loss of sensory inputs or definite deficits in cognitive functions, its certainly affects motor performance and specific perceptive and cognitive phenomena.
Topics: Afferent Pathways; Animals; Cerebellum; Cognition; Efferent Pathways; Humans; Motor Activity; Neurons; Perception
PubMed: 11784952
DOI: No ID Found -
Neuroscience Letters Jan 2019The cerebellum has a well-established role in controlling motor functions such coordination, balance, posture, and skilled learning. There is mounting evidence that it... (Review)
Review
The cerebellum has a well-established role in controlling motor functions such coordination, balance, posture, and skilled learning. There is mounting evidence that it might also play a critical role in non-motor functions such as cognition and emotion. It is therefore not surprising that cerebellar defects are associated with a wide array of diseases including ataxia, dystonia, tremor, schizophrenia, dyslexia, and autism spectrum disorder. What is intriguing is that a seemingly uniform circuit that is often described as being "simple" should carry out all of these behaviors. Analyses of how cerebellar circuits develop have revealed that such descriptions massively underestimate the complexity of the cerebellum. The cerebellum is in fact highly patterned and organized around a series of parasagittal stripes and transverse zones. This topographic architecture partitions all cerebellar circuits into functional modules that are thought to enhance processing power during cerebellar dependent behaviors. What are arguably the most remarkable features of cerebellar topography are the developmental processes that produce them. This review is concerned with the genetic and cellular mechanisms that orchestrate cerebellar patterning. We place a major focus on how Purkinje cells control multiple aspects of cerebellar circuit assembly. Using this model, we discuss evidence for how "zebra-like" patterns in Purkinje cells sculpt the cerebellum, how specific genetic cues mediate the process, and how activity refines the patterns into an adult map that is capable of executing various functions. We also discuss how defective Purkinje cell patterning might impact the pathogenesis of neurological conditions.
Topics: Animals; Cerebellar Diseases; Cerebellum; Humans; Purkinje Cells
PubMed: 29746896
DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2018.05.013 -
Cerebellum (London, England) Feb 2014While the cerebellum's role in motor function is well recognized, the nature of its concurrent role in cognitive function remains considerably less clear. The current...
While the cerebellum's role in motor function is well recognized, the nature of its concurrent role in cognitive function remains considerably less clear. The current consensus paper gathers diverse views on a variety of important roles played by the cerebellum across a range of cognitive and emotional functions. This paper considers the cerebellum in relation to neurocognitive development, language function, working memory, executive function, and the development of cerebellar internal control models and reflects upon some of the ways in which better understanding the cerebellum's status as a "supervised learning machine" can enrich our ability to understand human function and adaptation. As all contributors agree that the cerebellum plays a role in cognition, there is also an agreement that this conclusion remains highly inferential. Many conclusions about the role of the cerebellum in cognition originate from applying known information about cerebellar contributions to the coordination and quality of movement. These inferences are based on the uniformity of the cerebellum's compositional infrastructure and its apparent modular organization. There is considerable support for this view, based upon observations of patients with pathology within the cerebellum.
Topics: Animals; Cerebellar Diseases; Cerebellum; Cognition; Consensus; Humans; Mental Disorders; Mental Processes; Motor Activity; Movement
PubMed: 23996631
DOI: 10.1007/s12311-013-0511-x -
Handbook of Clinical Neurology 2018With the growing recognition of the extent and prevalence of human cerebellar disorders, an understanding of developmental programs that build the mature cerebellum is... (Review)
Review
With the growing recognition of the extent and prevalence of human cerebellar disorders, an understanding of developmental programs that build the mature cerebellum is necessary. In this chapter we present an overview of the basic epochs and key molecular regulators of the developmental programs of cerebellar development. These include early patterning of the cerebellar territory, the genesis of cerebellar cells from multiple spatially distinct germinal zones, and the extensive migration and coordinated cellular rearrangements that result in the formation of the exquisitely foliated and laminated mature cerebellum. This knowledge base is founded on extensive analysis of animal models, particularly mice, due in large part to the ease of genetic manipulation of this important model organism. Since cerebellar structure and function are largely conserved across species, mouse cerebellar development is highly relevant to humans and has led to important insights into the developmental pathogenesis of human cerebellar disorders. Human fetal cerebellar development remains largely undescribed; however, several human-specific developmental features are known which are relevant to human disease and underline the importance of ongoing human fetal research.
Topics: Animals; Cerebellum; Embryology; Humans; Neurons
PubMed: 29903446
DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-444-63956-1.00002-3 -
The Journal of Neuroscience : the... Nov 2023The cerebellum, traditionally associated with motor coordination and balance, also plays a crucial role in various aspects of higher-order function and dysfunction....
The cerebellum, traditionally associated with motor coordination and balance, also plays a crucial role in various aspects of higher-order function and dysfunction. Emerging research has shed light on the cerebellum's broader contributions to cognitive, emotional, and reward processes. The cerebellum's influence on autonomic function further highlights its significance in regulating motivational and emotional states. Perturbations in cerebellar development and function have been implicated in various neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. An increasing appreciation for neuropsychiatric symptoms that arise from cerebellar dysfunction underscores the importance of elucidating the circuit mechanisms that underlie complex interactions between the cerebellum and other brain regions for a comprehensive understanding of complex behavior. By briefly discussing new advances in mapping cerebellar function in affective, cognitive, autonomic, and social processing and reviewing the role of the cerebellum in neuropathology beyond the motor domain, this Mini-Symposium review aims to provide a broad perspective of cerebellar intersections with the limbic brain in health and disease.
Topics: Humans; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Cognition; Cerebellum; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity
PubMed: 37940582
DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1451-23.2023 -
Biological Psychiatry. Cognitive... Sep 2019An increasingly influential hypothesis posits that many of the diverse symptoms of psychosis can be viewed as reflecting dysfunctional predictive mechanisms. Indeed, to... (Review)
Review
An increasingly influential hypothesis posits that many of the diverse symptoms of psychosis can be viewed as reflecting dysfunctional predictive mechanisms. Indeed, to perceive something is to take a sensory input and make a prediction of the external source of that signal; thus, prediction is perhaps the most fundamental neural computation. Given the ubiquity of prediction, a more challenging problem is to specify the unique predictive role or capability of a particular brain structure. This question is relevant when considering recent claims that one aspect of the predictive deficits observed in psychotic disorders might be related to cerebellar dysfunction, a subcortical structure known to play a critical role in predictive sensorimotor control and perhaps higher-level cognitive function. Here, we review evidence bearing on this question. We first focus on clinical, behavioral, and neuroimaging findings suggesting cerebellar involvement in psychosis and, specifically, schizophrenia. We then review a relatively novel line of research exploring whether computational models of cerebellar motor function can also account for cerebellar involvement in higher-order human cognition, and in particular, language function. We end the review by highlighting some key gaps in these literatures, limitations that currently preclude strong conclusions regarding cerebellar involvement in psychosis.
Topics: Anticipation, Psychological; Cerebellum; Feedback, Sensory; Humans; Motor Activity; Motor Disorders; Psychotic Disorders; Schizophrenia
PubMed: 31495402
DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2019.06.001 -
Handbook of Clinical Neurology 2018This chapter summarizes the neuropathologic features of nonneoplastic disorders of the adult cerebellum. Gait ataxia and extremity dysmetria are clinical manifestations... (Review)
Review
This chapter summarizes the neuropathologic features of nonneoplastic disorders of the adult cerebellum. Gait ataxia and extremity dysmetria are clinical manifestations of diseases that interrupt the complex cerebellar circuitry between the neurons of the cerebellar cortex, the cerebellar nuclei (especially the dentate nuclei), and the inferior olivary nuclei. The cerebellum is a prominent target of several sporadic and hereditary neurodegenerative diseases, including multiple system atrophy, spinocerebellar ataxia, and Friedreich ataxia. Purkinje cells display selective vulnerability to hypoxia but a surprising resistance to hypoglycemia. A classic toxin that damages the cerebellar cortex is methylmercury, but the most common injurious agent to Purkinje cells is ethanol. Many drugs cause ataxia, but doubts continue about phenytoin. Ischemic lesions of the cerebellum due to arterial thrombosis or embolism cause a spectrum of symptoms and signs, depending on the territory involved. Large hemorrhages have an unfavorable prognosis because they displace critical brainstem structures or penetrate into the fourth ventricle. Fungal infections and toxoplasmosis of the cerebellum, and cerebellar progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, have become rarer because of improved control of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Ataxia is a prominent feature of prion disease. Adult-onset Niemann-Pick type C1 disease and Kufs disease may have a predominantly ataxic clinical phenotype. The adult cerebellum is also vulnerable to several leukodystrophies. A rare but widely recognized complication of cancer is paraneoplastic cerebellar degeneration.
Topics: Cerebellar Diseases; Cerebellum; Humans; Nerve Net; Neuropathology
PubMed: 29903436
DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-444-63956-1.00008-4 -
Dysphagia Apr 2023Swallowing is a complex activity requiring a sophisticated system of neurological control from neurones within the brainstem, cerebral cortices and cerebellum. The... (Review)
Review
Swallowing is a complex activity requiring a sophisticated system of neurological control from neurones within the brainstem, cerebral cortices and cerebellum. The cerebellum is a critical part of the brain responsible for the modulation of movements. It receives input from motor cortical and sensory areas and fine tunes these inputs to produce coordinated motor outputs. With respect to swallowing, numerous functional imaging studies have demonstrated increased activity in the cerebellum during the task of swallowing and damage to the cerebellum following differing pathological processes is associated with dysphagia. Single pulses of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) have been applied to the cerebellum and have been shown to evoke motor responses in the pharynx. Moreover, repetitive TMS (rTMS) over the cerebellum can modulate cerebral motor (pharyngeal) cortical activity. Neurostimulation has allowed a better understanding of the connections that exist between the cerebellum and cerebral swallowing motor areas in health and provides a potential treatment for neurogenic dysphagia in illness. In this review we will examine what is currently known about the role of the cerebellum in the control of swallowing, explore new findings from neurostimulatory and imaging studies and provide an overview of the future clinical applications of cerebellar stimulation for treating dysphagia.
Topics: Humans; Deglutition; Deglutition Disorders; Evoked Potentials, Motor; Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation; Cerebellum
PubMed: 33675425
DOI: 10.1007/s00455-021-10271-x