Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA.
Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. 2022 Dec 1;17(12):1068-1081. doi: 10.1093/scan/nsac042.
The cerebellum is one-third the size of the cerebrum yet holds twice the number of neurons. Historically, its sole function was thought to be in the calibration of smooth movements through the creation and ongoing modification of motor programs. This traditional viewpoint has been challenged by findings showing that cerebellar damage can lead to striking changes in non-motor behavior, including emotional changes. In this manuscript, we review the literature on clinical and subclinical affective disturbances observed in individuals with lesions to the cerebellum. Disorders include pathological laughing and crying, bipolar disorder, depression and mixed mood changes. We propose a theoretical model based on cerebellar connectivity to explain how the cerebellum calibrates affect. We conclude with actionable steps for future researchers to test this model and improve upon the limitations of past literature.
小脑的体积为大脑的三分之一，但其神经元数量却是大脑的两倍。从历史上看，它的唯一功能被认为是通过创建和不断修改运动程序来校准平滑运动。这一传统观点受到了挑战，研究发现小脑损伤会导致非运动行为的显著变化，包括情绪变化。在本文中，我们回顾了关于小脑损伤患者观察到的临床和亚临床情感障碍的文献。这些障碍包括病理性哭笑、双相情感障碍、抑郁和混合情绪变化。我们提出了一个基于小脑连接的理论模型，来解释小脑如何校准情绪。最后，我们为未来的研究人员提出了一些可行的步骤，以检验该模型，并改进过去文献的局限性。
