cognitive face of cerebellum; implications for extended research

For years, the role of cerebellum was believed to be limited to motor functions. Only since almost two decades ago, a new concept about cerebellum and its contribution to non-motor functions including cognition and emotion started to emerged. During the recent years, numerous studies have focused on the cerebellar non-motor functions with their results providing supportive evidence on this view. The connections between cerebellum and cortical and subcortical areas such as frontoparietal cortices and the limbic system provide additional evidence for the involvement of cerebellum in higher cognitive functions. This review has been an effort to discuss the studies assessing different aspects of cognitive and affective disorders following cerebellar damage, as well as the cerebellar activity during cognitive tasks using novel approaches including fMRI and PET scans