Cerebellar involvement in cognitive function: evidence from neuroimaging

Abstract

A variety of evidence derived from functional neuroimaging suggests that the cerebellum participates in cognitive function, a conclusion consistent with the results of studies of patients with cerebellar damage and with recent advances in the understanding of cortiocerebellar pathways. This review focuses on the importance of cerebro-cerebellar interactions in understanding cerebellar influences on neocortical function. First, the phenomenon of crossed-cerebellar diaschisis, and the converse occurrence of neocortical hypometabolism following cerebellar damage, is discussed in light of imaging studies demonstrating the coupling between these structures during specific cognitive tasks. Then, using the pattern of cerebellar activation in verbal working memory as a model, experiments are reviewed that demonstrate a specific topology of the functional connectivity of the cerebellum and the neocortex, leading to the hypothesis that the articulatory control system may be mediated by a frontal cortex-superior cerebellar loop, while phonological storage may be mediatated by a temporal/parietal-inferior cerebellar loop. Overall, the set of observations illustrate how neuroimaging can help bridge the gap between neuroanatomy and cognitive psychology.