Cerebellar involvement in cognitive function: evidence from neuroimaging

A variety of evidence derived from functional neuroimaging suggests that th e cerebellum participates in cognitive function, a conclusion consistent wi th the results of studies of patients with cerebellar damage and with recen t advances in the understanding of cortiocerebellar pathways. This review f ocuses on the importance of cerebro-cerebellar interactions in understandin g cerebellar influences on neocortical function. First, the phenomenon of c rossed-cerebellar diaschisis, and the converse occurrence of neocortical hy pometabolism 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 verba l working memory as a model, experiments are reviewed that demonstrate a sp ecific topology of the functional connectivity of the cerebellum and the ne ocortex, leading to the hypothesis that the articulatory control system may be mediated by a frontal cortex-superior cerebellar loop, while phonologic al storage may be mediatated by a temporal/parietal-inferior cerebellar loo p. Overall, the set of observations illustrate how neuroimaging can help br idge the gap between neuroanatomy and cognitive psychology.