Cognitive Effects of Cerebellar Dysfunction
The cerebellum is regarded as an essential neural structure for motor control. At a tenth of the brain’s volume, it contains the majority of neurons in the brain. Many cortical areas project into the primate cerebellum; these include the primary motor and prefrontal cortices. Damage to the cerebellum is known to result in impaired motor function. Patients with cerebellar lesions may exhibit ataxia, unbalanced gait; dysmetria, lack of coordination in the extremities; dysarthria, difficulty articulating speech; and other physical impairments. Finer motor functions such as the ability to saccade or even to swallow may be affected (c.f. Schmahmann, 2004). Convention has long held that the cerebellum, …show more content…
Structural and functional data about the healthy healthy further suggest cerebellar participation in higher-level neural networks. The aforementioned studies contribute to an exciting paradigm shift for understanding cerebellar function. Instead of exclusively controlling motor output, the cerebellum may modulate several neural mechanisms such as those needed for language and attention. The scientific community’s broadened understanding of cerebellar function has, perhaps, the greatest impact on cerebellar patients themselves. Following the onset of a disorder, such as a stroke, many patients will receive physical therapy. Physical therapy retrains the brain to perform motor functions lost after onset. Compensatory mechanisms form. If cerebellar action in cognitive processes is analogous to cerebellar motor control, then patients’ cognitive disturbances can be addressed in ways similar to the treatment of motor symptoms. Cognitive therapy may maximize a patient’s recovery of mental function. A holistic model of the cerebellum’s regulatory effects should, then, motivate holistic support systems for cerebellum
The cerebellum is regarded as an essential neural structure for motor control. At a tenth of the brain’s volume, it contains the majority of neurons in the brain. Many cortical areas project into the primate cerebellum; these include the primary motor and prefrontal cortices. Damage to the cerebellum is known to result in impaired motor function. Patients with cerebellar lesions may exhibit ataxia, unbalanced gait; dysmetria, lack of coordination in the extremities; dysarthria, difficulty articulating speech; and other physical impairments. Finer motor functions such as the ability to saccade or even to swallow may be affected (c.f. Schmahmann, 2004). Convention has long held that the cerebellum, …show more content…
Structural and functional data about the healthy healthy further suggest cerebellar participation in higher-level neural networks. The aforementioned studies contribute to an exciting paradigm shift for understanding cerebellar function. Instead of exclusively controlling motor output, the cerebellum may modulate several neural mechanisms such as those needed for language and attention. The scientific community’s broadened understanding of cerebellar function has, perhaps, the greatest impact on cerebellar patients themselves. Following the onset of a disorder, such as a stroke, many patients will receive physical therapy. Physical therapy retrains the brain to perform motor functions lost after onset. Compensatory mechanisms form. If cerebellar action in cognitive processes is analogous to cerebellar motor control, then patients’ cognitive disturbances can be addressed in ways similar to the treatment of motor symptoms. Cognitive therapy may maximize a patient’s recovery of mental function. A holistic model of the cerebellum’s regulatory effects should, then, motivate holistic support systems for cerebellum