Department of Biomedical Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.
Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences, Singapore, Singapore.
Hum Brain Mapp. 2018 Dec;39(12):5074-5084. doi: 10.1002/hbm.24346. Epub 2018 Aug 22.
Recent evidence suggests that the cerebellum contributes not only to the planning and execution of movement but also to the high-order cognitive planning. Childhood is a critical period for development of the cerebellum and cognitive planning. This study aimed (a) to examine the development of cerebellar morphology and microstructure and (b) to examine the cerebellar mediation roles in the relationship between age and cognitive planning in 6- to 10-year-old children (n = 126). We used an anatomical parcellation to quantify cerebellar regional gray matter (GM) and white matter (WM) volumes, and WM microstructure, including fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD). We assessed planning ability using the Stockings of Cambridge (SOC) task in all children. We revealed (a) a measure-specific anterior-to-posterior gradient of the cerebellar development in childhood, that is, smaller GM volumes and greater WM FA of the anterior segment of the cerebellum but larger GM volumes and lower WM FA in the posterior segment of the cerebellum in older children; (b) an age-related improvement of the SOC performance at the most demanding level of five-move problems; and (c) a mediation role of the lateral cerebellar WM volumes in age-related improvement in the SOC performance in childhood. These results highlight the differential development of the cerebellum during childhood and provide evidence that brain adaptation to the acquisition of planning ability during childhood could partially be achieved through the engagement of the lateral cerebellum.
最近的证据表明，小脑不仅有助于运动的计划和执行，而且有助于高级认知规划。儿童期是小脑和认知规划发展的关键时期。本研究旨在：(a) 研究小脑形态和微观结构的发展；(b) 研究小脑在 6 至 10 岁儿童年龄与认知规划关系中的中介作用（n=126）。我们使用解剖分区来量化小脑区域灰质（GM）和白质（WM）体积，以及 WM 微观结构，包括各向异性分数（FA）和平均弥散度（MD）。我们使用剑桥套圈任务（SOC）评估所有儿童的规划能力。我们发现：(a) 小脑在儿童期具有特定的从前向后的发育模式，即小脑前节的 GM 体积较小，WM FA 较大，而小脑后节的 GM 体积较大，WM FA 较低；(b) 在 SOC 最具挑战性的 5 步问题水平上，年龄相关的 SOC 表现有所提高；(c) 小脑外侧 WM 体积在儿童期 SOC 表现的年龄相关改善中具有中介作用。这些结果突出了小脑在儿童期的差异发育，并提供了证据表明，大脑对儿童时期规划能力获取的适应，可能部分通过外侧小脑的参与来实现。
