ABSTRACT
The impairment of phonological short-term memory has been reported in adults with cerebellar lesions. At the same time, a role of the cerebellum in speech production has been hypothesized. Cerebellar malformations have been related to developmental problems and language acquisition in children. We describe a 5-year-old male child with cerebellar vermis hypoplasia who presented a severe linguistic deficit. On language testing, verbal production was almost absent, while comprehension was partially spared. Digit span was markedly reduced. An extensive examination of phonological short-term memory confirmed a deficit at this level. Positron Emission Tomography revealed hypometabolism both in the cerebellum and the supratentorial areas involved in language function. This finding supports the hypothesis that the cerebellum is included in a cerebro-cerebellar network, that underlies the phonological short-term memory, whose integrity is necessary for language acquisition.
Subject(s)
Cerebellar Diseases/complications , Cerebellum/abnormalities , Language Development Disorders/etiology , Memory Disorders/etiology , Nervous System Malformations/complications , Aphasia, Broca/etiology , Aphasia, Broca/pathology , Aphasia, Broca/physiopathology , Brain Mapping , Cerebellar Diseases/pathology , Cerebellar Diseases/physiopathology , Cerebellum/diagnostic imaging , Cerebellum/physiopathology , Cerebral Cortex/diagnostic imaging , Cerebral Cortex/physiopathology , Child, Preschool , Disability Evaluation , Dominance, Cerebral/physiology , Functional Laterality/physiology , Humans , Language Development Disorders/pathology , Language Development Disorders/physiopathology , Language Tests , Male , Memory Disorders/pathology , Memory Disorders/physiopathology , Memory, Short-Term/physiology , Nerve Net/pathology , Nerve Net/physiopathology , Nervous System Malformations/pathology , Nervous System Malformations/physiopathology , Neuropsychological Tests , Positron-Emission TomographyABSTRACT
The definition of clinical criteria for differential diagnosis of Vascular Dementia (VaD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains controversial. A large group of patients selected was affected by chronic cerebrovascular disease classified as VaD or not (VND), according to DSM IV criteria. Neuropsychological performances of VaD patients were compared with a group of patients affected by probable AD, matched for age, education, and severity of disease. The comparison of performances did not reach statistical significance in single neuropsychological tasks. The results suggest that neuropsychological examination might not clearly differentiate between VaD and AD patients; the similar pattern of cognitive impairment is probably indicative of several common pathogenetic mechanisms.
