Is the cerebellum relevant in the circuitry of neuropsychiatric disorders?

TLDR

Contemporary models of psychiatric disorders implicate abnormalities in distinct neural networks, and the cerebellum’s connections to prefrontal cortex, limbic structures, and monoamine nuclei suggest a role that has been underemphasized in neuropsychiatric research. This review summarizes published data on the cerebellum’s putative role in normal and abnormal mood regulation, focusing on psychosis, depression, and mania. The review compiles and analyzes evidence on the cerebellum’s involvement in mood regulation across these psychiatric states. Evidence indicates the cerebellum is relevant to neuropsychiatric disorders, warranting its inclusion in future models and studies.

Abstract

Contemporary mechanistic models of several psychiatric disorders propose abnormalities in the structure and function of distinct neural networks. The cerebellum has both anatomic and functional connections to the prefrontal cortex, the subcortical limbic structures and monoamine-producing brainstem nuclei. Conspicuously, however, the cerebellum has been underemphasized in neuropsychiatric research. A growing confluence of scientific data indicate that the cerebellum may not be irrelevant, which suggests that an integrated model of neuropsychiatric disorders should include a role for the cerebellum and its relevant neural connections. This review summarizes the published data describing and characterizing the putative role of the cerebellum in normal and abnormal mood regulation, with specific attention to states of psychosis, depression and mania. The available evidence suggests that a functional role for the cerebellum should be considered in future neuropsychiatric studies.