Cerebellar Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Modulates Verbal Working Memory

Boehringer, Andreas; Macher, Katja; Dukart, Juergen; Villringer, Arno; Pleger, Burkhard

doi:10.1016/j.brs.2012.10.001

Cited by 108 publications

(73 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Neuroimaging studies have found cerebellar activation during tasks involving language, emotion processing and executive function such as working memory (WM) [29,30]. Cerebellar involvement has also been found in the timing and coordination of motor responses [31], and there is emerging evidence that, in conjunction with other neural structures, the cerebellum may play a role in time processing [32,33], particularly in the sub-second range [34] and in rhythm learning [35].…”

Section: Cognitive Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cathodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) to the Right Cerebellar Hemisphere Affects Motor Adaptation During Gait

et al. 2016

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The cerebellum appears to play a key role in the development of internal rules that allow fast, predictive adjustments to novel stimuli. This is crucial for adaptive motor processes, such as those involved in walking, where cerebellar dysfunction has been found to increase variability in gait parameters. Motor adaptation is a process that results in a progressive reduction in errors as movements are adjusted to meet demands, and within the cerebellum, this seems to be localised primarily within the right hemisphere. To examine the role of the right cerebellar hemisphere in adaptive gait, cathodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) was administered to the right cerebellar hemisphere of 14 healthy adults in a randomised, double-blind, crossover study. Adaptation to a series of distinct spatial and temporal templates was assessed across tDCS condition via a pressure-sensitive gait mat (ProtoKinetics Zeno walkway), on which participants walked with an induced 'limp' at a non-preferred pace. Variability was assessed across key spatial-temporal gait parameters. It was hypothesised that cathodal tDCS to the right cerebellar hemisphere would disrupt adaptation to the templates, reflected in a failure to reduce variability following stimulation. In partial support, adaptation was disrupted following tDCS on one of the four spatial-temporal templates used. However, there was no evidence for general effects on either the spatial or temporal domain. This suggests, under specific conditions, a coupling of spatial and temporal processing in the right cerebellar hemisphere and highlights the potential importance of task complexity in cerebellar function.

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Section: Cognitive Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cathodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) to the Right Cerebellar Hemisphere Affects Motor Adaptation During Gait

et al. 2016

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“…Schmahmann’s cerebellar cognitive affective syndrome has shown that human cerebellar lesions cause cognitive impairments (Schmahmann, 2004). Inducing transient impairments using repetitive transcranial cerebellar stimulation has recently been shown to impair cognitive tasks such as language, emotion, learning, memory, perception, and timing (Fierro et al, 2007; Koch et al, 2007; Oliveri et al, 2007; Grube et al, 2010; Bijsterbosch et al, 2011; Boehringer et al, 2013; Tomlinson et al, 2013; Grimaldi et al, 2014). Similar deficits are reported following lesions to the anterior cingulate (Devinsky et al, 1995).…”

Section: Cingulocerebellar Interactions In Schizophreniamentioning

confidence: 99%

The therapeutic potential of the cerebellum in schizophrenia

Parker

Narayanan

Andreasen

2014

Front. Syst. Neurosci.

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The cognitive role of the cerebellum is critically tied to its distributed connections throughout the brain. Accumulating evidence from anatomical, structural and functional imaging, and lesion studies advocate a cognitive network involving indirect connections between the cerebellum and non-motor areas in the prefrontal cortex. Cerebellar stimulation dynamically influences activity in several regions of the frontal cortex and effectively improves cognition in schizophrenia. In this manuscript, we summarize current literature on the cingulocerebellar circuit and we introduce a method to interrogate this circuit combining opotogenetics, neuropharmacology, and electrophysiology in awake-behaving animals while minimizing incidental stimulation of neighboring cerebellar nuclei. We propose the novel hypothesis that optogenetic cerebellar stimulation can restore aberrant frontal activity and rescue impaired cognition in schizophrenia. We focus on how a known cognitive region in the frontal cortex, the anterior cingulate, is influenced by the cerebellum. This circuit is of particular interest because it has been confirmed using tracing studies, neuroimaging reveals its role in cognitive tasks, it is conserved from rodents to humans, and diseases such as schizophrenia and autism appear in its aberrancy. Novel tract tracing results presented here provide support for how these two areas communicate. The primary pathway involves a disynaptic connection between the cerebellar dentate nuclei (DN) and the anterior cingulate cortex. Secondarily, the pathway from cerebellar fastigial nuclei (FN) to the ventral tegmental area, which supplies dopamine to the prefrontal cortex, may play a role as schizophrenia characteristically involves dopamine deficiencies. We hope that the hypothesis described here will inspire new therapeutic strategies targeting currently untreatable cognitive impairments in schizophrenia.

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“…Several studies have found the cathodal TDCS to the cerebellum affected the performance of working memory tasks [84][85][86]. Finally, performance on a visuomotor adaptation task in healthy adults was improved by anodal TDCS [76].…”

Section: The Non-motor Role Of the Cerebellum In Dystoniamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The left cerebellum has a greater role in visuospatial processing and in spatial working memory [78]. The right cerebellum is more associated with verbal working memory particularly when tested using a digit span working memory task [85] or the Paced Auditory Serial Subtraction Task (PASST) evaluating working memory and attention [86]. …”

Section: The Non-motor Role Of the Cerebellum In Dystoniamentioning

confidence: 99%

Non-invasive cerebellar stimulation in dystonia

Graetz

Bradnam

2013

Translational Neuroscience

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Primary isolated dystonia is a hyperkinetic movement disorder whereby involuntary muscle contractions cause twisted and abnormal postures. Dystonia of the cervical spine and upper limb may present as sustained muscle contractions or task-specific activity when using the hand or upper limb. There is little understanding of the pathophysiology underlying dystonia and this presents a challenge for clinicians and researchers alike. Emerging evidence that the cerebellum is involved in the pathophysiology of dystonia using network models presents the intriguing concept that the cerebellum could provide a novel target for non-invasive brain stimulation. Non-invasive stimulation to increase cerebellar excitability improved aspects of handwriting and circle drawing in a small cohort of people with focal hand and cervical dystonia. Mechanisms underlying the improvement in function are unknown, but putative pathways may involve the red nucleus and/or the cervical propriospinal system. Furthermore, recent understanding that the cerebellum has both motor and cognitive functions suggests that non-invasive cerebellar stimulation may improve both motor and non-motor aspects of dystonia. We propose a combination of motor and non-motor tasks that challenge cerebellar function may be combined with cerebellar non-invasive brain stimulation in the treatment of focal dystonia. Better understanding of how the cerebellum contributes to dystonia may be gained by using network models such as our putative circuits involving red nucleus and/or the cervical propriospinal system. Finally, novel treatment interventions encompassing both motor and non-motor functions of the cerebellum may prove effective for neurological disorders that exhibit cerebellar dysfunction.

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Cerebellar Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation Modulates Verbal Working Memory

Cited by 108 publications

References 33 publications

Cathodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) to the Right Cerebellar Hemisphere Affects Motor Adaptation During Gait

Cathodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) to the Right Cerebellar Hemisphere Affects Motor Adaptation During Gait

The therapeutic potential of the cerebellum in schizophrenia

Non-invasive cerebellar stimulation in dystonia

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