Commentary: Cerebellar atrophy and its contribution to cognition in frontotemporal dementias

Ibáñez, Agustín; García, Adolfo M.

doi:10.3389/fnagi.2018.00300

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 12 publications

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“…Despite this progress, research on social concepts has neglected a potentially critical region: the cerebellum. Key imaging studies have excluded it from their analyses [1,13,17,19], adding to the historical dismissal of cerebellar cognition [20,21] and raising pleas for its study in socio-emotional research [18]. In this sense, beyond its roles in motor and executive functions [22][23][24], the cerebellum and its cortico-limbic connections have been implicated in understanding others' mental states, intentions, beliefs and personality traits [25].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social concepts and the cerebellum: behavioural and functional connectivity signatures in cerebellar ataxic patients

Cunha

Fittipaldi

Campo

et al. 2022

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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Neurocognitive research on social concepts underscores their reliance on fronto-temporo-limbic regions mediating broad socio-cognitive skills. Yet, the field has neglected another structure increasingly implicated in social cognition: the cerebellum. The present exploratory study examines this link combining a novel naturalistic text paradigm, a relevant atrophy model and functional magnetic resonance imaging. Fifteen cerebellar ataxia (CA) patients with focal cerebellar atrophy and 29 matched controls listened to a social text (highlighting interpersonal events) as well as a non-social text (focused on a single person's actions), and answered comprehension questionnaires. We compared behavioural outcomes between groups and examined their association with cerebellar connectivity. CA patients showed deficits in social text comprehension and normal scores in the non-social text. Also, social text outcomes in controls selectively correlated with connectivity between the cerebellum and key regions subserving multi-modal semantics and social cognition, including the superior and medial temporal gyri, the temporal pole and the insula. Conversely, brain-behaviour associations involving the cerebellum were abolished in the patients. Thus, cerebellar structures and connections seem involved in processing social concepts evoked by naturalistic discourse. Such findings invite new theoretical and translational developments integrating social neuroscience with embodied semantics. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Concepts in interaction: social engagement and inner experiences’.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social concepts and the cerebellum: behavioural and functional connectivity signatures in cerebellar ataxic patients

Cunha

Fittipaldi

Campo

et al. 2022

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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Systematic Review: Genetic, Neuroimaging, and Fluids Biomarkers for Frontotemporal Dementia Across Latin America Countries

et al. 2021

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Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) includes a group of clinically, genetically, and pathologically heterogeneous neurodegenerative disorders, affecting the fronto-insular-temporal regions of the brain. Clinically, FTD is characterized by progressive deficits in behavior, executive function, and language and its diagnosis relies mainly on the clinical expertise of the physician/consensus group and the use of neuropsychological tests and/or structural/functional neuroimaging, depending on local availability. The modest correlation between clinical findings and FTD neuropathology makes the diagnosis difficult using clinical criteria and often leads to underdiagnosis or misdiagnosis, primarily due to lack of recognition or awareness of FTD as a disease and symptom overlap with psychiatric disorders. Despite advances in understanding the underlying neuropathology of FTD, accurate and sensitive diagnosis for this disease is still lacking. One of the major challenges is to improve diagnosis in FTD patients as early as possible. In this context, biomarkers have emerged as useful methods to provide and/or complement clinical diagnosis for this complex syndrome, although more evidence is needed to incorporate most of them into clinical practice. However, most biomarker studies have been performed using North American or European populations, with little representation of the Latin American and the Caribbean (LAC) region. In the LAC region, there are additional challenges, particularly the lack of awareness and knowledge about FTD, even in specialists. Also, LAC genetic heritage and cultures are complex, and both likely influence clinical presentations and may modify baseline biomarker levels. Even more, due to diagnostic delay, the clinical presentation might be further complicated by both neurological and psychiatric comorbidity, such as vascular brain damage, substance abuse, mood disorders, among others. This systematic review provides a brief update and an overview of the current knowledge on genetic, neuroimaging, and fluid biomarkers for FTD in LAC countries. Our review highlights the need for extensive research on biomarkers in FTD in LAC to contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the disease and its associated biomarkers. Dementia research is certainly reduced in the LAC region, highlighting an urgent need for harmonized, innovative, and cross-regional studies with a global perspective across multiple areas of dementia knowledge.

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Commentary: Cerebellar atrophy and its contribution to cognition in frontotemporal dementias

Cited by 2 publications

References 12 publications

Social concepts and the cerebellum: behavioural and functional connectivity signatures in cerebellar ataxic patients

Social concepts and the cerebellum: behavioural and functional connectivity signatures in cerebellar ataxic patients

Systematic Review: Genetic, Neuroimaging, and Fluids Biomarkers for Frontotemporal Dementia Across Latin America Countries

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