Re-examining the Mysterious Role of the Cerebellum in Pain

Abstract

Pain is considered a multidimensional experience that embodies not merely sensation, but also emotion and perception. As is appropriate for this complexity, pain is represented and processed by an extensive matrix of cortical and subcortical structures. Of these structures, the cerebellum is gaining increasing attention. Although association between the cerebellum and both acute and chronic pain have been extensively detailed in electrophysiological and neuroimaging studies, a deep understanding of what functions are mediated by these associations is lacking. Nevertheless, the available evidence implies that lobules IV–VI and Crus I are especially pertinent to pain processing, and anatomical studies reveal that these regions connect with higher-order structures of sensorimotor, emotional, and cognitive function. Therefore, we speculate that the cerebellum exerts a modulatory role in pain via its communication with sites of sensorimotor, executive, reward, and limbic function. On this basis, in this review, we propose numerous ways in which the cerebellum might contribute to both acute and chronic pain, drawing particular attention to emotional and cognitive elements of pain. In addition, we emphasise the importance of advancing our knowledge about the relationship between the cerebellum and pain by discussing novel therapeutic opportunities that capitalize on this association.