A Focus on the Cerebellum: From Embryogenesis to an Age-Related Clinical Perspective

Abstract

The cerebellum and its functional multiplicity and heterogeneity have been objects of curiosity and interest since ancient times, giving rise to the urge to reveal its complexity. Since the first hypothesis of cerebellar mere role in motor tuning and coordination, much more has been continuously discovered about the cerebellum’s circuitry and functioning throughout centuries, leading to the currently accepted knowledge of its prominent involvement in cognitive, social, and behavioral areas. Particularly in childhood, the cerebellum may subserve several age-dependent functions, which might be compromised in several Central Nervous System pathologies. Overall, cerebellar damage may produce numerous signs and symptoms and determine a wide variety of neuropsychiatric impairments already during the evolutive age. Therefore, an early assessment in children would be desirable to address a prompt diagnosis and a proper intervention since the first months of life. Here we provide an overview of the cerebellum, retracing its morphology, histogenesis, and physiological functions, and finally outlining its involvement in typical and atypical development and the age-dependent patterns of cerebellar dysfunctions.

“Upregulation of TLR4/MyD88 pathway in alcohol-induced Wernicke’s encephalopathy: findings in preclinical models and in a postmortem human case”

“…Executive functions, including verbal working memory, are related to both cerebellar hemispheres, while affective functions are primarily midline in the so called "limbic cerebellum". Interestingly, the left cerebellar hemisphere, region analyzed in the present study, also appears to be involved in visuospatial functions and in linguistic processes (Klein et al, 2016;Amore et al, 2021). Thus, the cerebellum and the frontal cortex are two brain areas directly involved in the behavioral alterations manifested in the WE, which deserve further investigation.…”

Application of the Scale for Assessment and Rating of Ataxia in toddlers

“…brain maturation). (8,22) This is reflected by paediatric motor coordination approaching the adult standards by 16 years of age. (3,5,(23)(24)(25)(26)(27) As the SARA is originally designed to measure cerebellar function in the adult, and as cerebellar motor output is related with cerebellar development, it is thus no surprise that immaturity may confound SARA-scores by representing "physiological brain development" instead of "ataxia".…”

Networking of the Human Cerebellum: From Anatomo-Functional Development to Neurosurgical Implications

“…The development of the human cerebellum is a highly protracted and orchestrated process, extending from the early first trimester to the end of the second post-natal year. The cerebellum is a derivative of two rhombomeres respectively located caudally (near the tail) and rostrally (near the front) in the alar plate of the neural tube, which develops along the rhombencephalon of the embryonic brain (6).…”

“…As for the supratentorial compartment, cerebellar networks undergo intensive development and rearrangement from childhood to adulthood, allowing for maturation of functional processing (4)(5)(6).…”