Prominent Changes in Cerebro-Cerebellar Functional Connectivity During Continuous Cognitive Processing

Abstract

While task-dependent responses of specific brain areas during cognitive tasks are well established, much less is known about the changes occurring in resting state networks (RSNs) in relation to continuous cognitive processing. In particular, the functional involvement of cerebro-cerebellar loops connecting the posterior cerebellum to associative cortices, remains unclear. In this study, 22 healthy volunteers underwent a multi-session functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) protocol composed of four consecutive 8-min resting state fMRI (rs-fMRI) scans. After a first control scan, participants listened to a narrated story for the entire duration of the second rs-fMRI scan; two further rs-fMRI scans followed the end of story listening. The story plot was purposely designed to stimulate specific cognitive processes that are known to involve the cerebro-cerebellar loops. Almost all of the identified 15 RSNs showed changes in functional connectivity (FC) during and for several minutes after the story. The FC changes mainly occurred in the frontal and prefrontal cortices and in the posterior cerebellum, especially in Crus I-II and lobule VI. The FC changes occurred in cerebellar clusters belonging to different RSNs, including the cerebellar network (CBLN), sensory networks (lateral visual network, LVN; medial visual network, MVN) and cognitive networks (default mode network, DMN; executive control network, ECN; right and left ventral attention networks, RVAN and LVAN; salience network, SN; language network, LN; and working memory network, WMN). Interestingly, a k-means analysis of FC changes revealed clustering of FCN, ECN, and WMN, which are all involved in working memory functions, CBLN, DMN, and SN, which play a key-role in attention switching, and RSNs involved in visual imagery. These results show that the cerebellum is deeply entrained in well-structured network clusters, which reflect multiple aspects of cognitive processing, during and beyond the conclusion of auditory stimulation.

The Importance of Cerebellar Connectivity on Simulated Brain Dynamics

“…Recently, using advanced tractography, it has been possible to reconstruct the tracts wiring the cerebral cortex and the cerebellum demonstrating the existence of cerebro-cerebellar loops involving the associative areas ( Palesi et al, 2015 , 2017b ). Moreover, resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) has demonstrated that the cerebellum is entrained into large-scale coherent oscillations together with cerebral cortical regions to form several resting-state networks, including the default-mode network, salience network and attention network in addition to the sensorimotor network ( Buckner, 2013 ; Castellazzi et al, 2018 ). Finally, task-dependent fMRI has shown cerebellar activation, together with several cerebral cortical areas, during the execution of motor and cognitive tasks ( Casiraghi et al, 2019 ).…”

Frontal and cerebellar atrophy supports FTSD-ALS clinical continuum

“…The fact that there was a significant involvement of the cerebellar Crus I/II (bilaterally) in FTLD compared to ALS, could partially explain the cognitive impairment of these patients given the role of this region in memory and language processing 27 as well in continuous cognitive processing tasks. 17 Furthermore, our study shows a statistically significant involvement of the posterior cerebellum in FTLD compared to ALS, which could point to a greater disruption of the cerebro-cerebellar circuit in FTLD. This is further supported by the atrophy found in the ATR, which is known to be part of the efferent pathway from the superior cerebellar peduncle.…”

“…This result is consistent with recent literature showing more and more often that the cerebellum has a key role in cognition and in supporting advanced functions. 31,32,17 Furthermore, recent studies have reported the presence of a high proportion of cerebellar connections with the frontal and prefrontal cortex 29 consistent with the fact that the FAB is thought to require predominantly frontal and prefrontal cortex and more generally high-level functions. Indeed, Crus I is known to be involved in cognition, whereas lobule VII has recently been shown to have a role in cognitive and social behavior, with particular focus on persisting behavior and novelty seeking.…”

“…The XJVIEW toolbox (http://www.alivelearn.net/xjview/) and FSL anatomical atlases, such as JHU 17,18 and SUIT, 19 were used to accurately localize the regions affected by alterations.…”

The prominent role of the cerebellum in the social learning of the phonological loop in working memory: How language was adaptively built from cerebellar inner speech required during stone-tool making

“…In brief, they proposed that “the primary purpose for which the phonological loop evolved was to store unfamiliar sound patterns while more permanent memory records are being constructed” (abstract). Following the findings of Ashida, Cerminara, Edwards, Apps and Brooks [33] , Castellazzi, Bruno, Toosy, Casiragi, Palesi, Savini et al [39] , Crespi, Read & Hurd [34] and Saeki, Baddeley, Hitch and Saito [40] , it is reasonable to suggest that new, repetitious words would be error-corrected and modeled in the cerebellum in relation to existing phonological working memory. These findings provide a direct neurological parallel to Baddeley, Gathercole and Papagno's description of the purpose and operation of the phonological loop for acquisition of new word forms, a scenario that within Vandervert's [23] , [41] proposals places the evolutionary origin of the phonological loop as a concomitant to new, fast-paced cerebellar attention shifting [42] among and internal modeling of new, repetitious movement requirements and counterpart inner vocalizations across the evolution of stone-tool making.…”