Functional connectivity between the cerebrum and cerebellum in social cognition: A multi-study analysis

Autism and cerebellar dysfunction: Evidence from animal models

“…Tracing studies e mostly in non-human primates e revealed extensive connections between the cerebellum and cortical areas beyond cortical areas involved in motor functions. These findings have been corroborated by more recent functional imaging studies in human patients, demonstrating that cerebellar domains are part of whole brain networks such as the default mode network, salience network, and executive control network [7,19], networks which are important for social function and disrupted in functional connectivity studies in autism [20,27].…”

“…Moreover, anatomic tracing studies further demonstrated extensive connections between the cerebellum and non-motor cortical areas [17,18]. These studies have since been corroborated by functional connectivity studies, which again support a role for the majority of the cerebellum in non-motor functions [19,20]. Additional support for these connections comes from children with isolated cerebellar injury of prematurity, who on later imaging demonstrated significant alterations in cortical domains involved in cognitive processes, suggesting a contribution of remote developmental diaschisis and alterations in distributed neuronal circuitry between the cortex and cerebellum that appears to contribute to developmental, cognitive, and behavioral sequelae [14,21].…”

Cerebellar Contribution to Social Cognition

“…Recent investigations [33–37] indictate that there are network specific locations within cerebellum for different aspects of social cognition. It would be informative to perform a detailed analysis of structure-function correlation in the domains of social cognition in patients with focal cerebellar lesions to determine if there is unique or preferential overlap with lesions in the somatomotor, limbic and default networks.…”

“…Functional neuroimaging evidence for a cerebellar role in social cognition was presented by van Overwalle and colleagues [33–37]. These investigators performed meta-analyses of task-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and resting state functional connectivity MRI (rsfcMRI).…”

The Role of the Pediatric Cerebellum in Motor Functions, Cognition, and Behavior

“…As documented earlier, cerebellar activation is demonstrated in social paradigms. 126,127 As with the above disorders, motor dysfunction is prominent in ASDs with prevalent motor apraxias, alterations in tone, and abnormalities in eye movements affecting the majority of patients (reviewed recently by Mosconi et al 128 ).…”