Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2009 Dec 15;66(12):1100-6.
doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2009.06.014. Epub 2009 Aug 5.

Cerebellar volume and cognitive functioning in children who experienced early deprivation

Patrick M Bauer  1 , Jamie L Hanson, Ronald K Pierson, Richard J Davidson, Seth D Pollak
Affiliations

Cerebellar volume and cognitive functioning in children who experienced early deprivation

Patrick M Bauer et al. Biol Psychiatry. .

Abstract

Background: The cerebellum is a brain region recognized primarily in the coordination of movement and related accessory motor functions. In addition, emerging evidence implicates the cerebellum in cognitive processes and suggests that this brain region might be subject to experience-dependent changes in structure. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the role of early environmental deprivation in the maturation of the cerebellum and aspects of cognitive development.

Methods: Structural magnetic resonance imaging volumes of 12 cerebellar sub-regions from 31 previously neglected and 30 typically developing children were compared with subjects' corresponding neuropsychological test scores.

Results: Neglected children had smaller volume of the superior-posterior cerebellar lobes. Moreover, superior-posterior lobe volume was found to mediate neuropsychological test performance differences between groups, with larger volumes yielding better outcomes on tests of memory and planning.

Conclusions: These data support the importance of experience-dependent changes in cerebellar structure and highlight the role of the cerebellum in higher cognitive functions.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Regional Cerebellar Parcellations for Measurement
Figure 2
Figure 2
Group Comparison of Cerebellar Regional Volumes
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Diamond A. Close interrelation of motor development and cognitive development and of the cerebellum and prefrontal cortex. Child Dev. 2000;71:44–56. - PubMed
    1. Ito M. Movement and thought: identical control mechanisms by the cerebellum. Trends Neurosci. 1993;16:448–50. discussion 453-4. - PubMed
    1. Ito M, editor. How does the cerebellum facilitate thought? Oxford University Press; Oxford: 1993.
    1. Kim SG, Ugurbil K, Strick PL. Activation of a cerebellar output nucleus during cognitive processing. Science. 1994;265:949–951. - PubMed
    1. Leiner HC, Leiner AL, Dow RS. The human cerebro-cerebellar system: its computing, cognitive, and language skills. Behav Brain Res. 1991;44:113–128. - PubMed

Publication types