Cited by 281Motor Control and AdaptationFunctional Brain Connectivity StudiesVestibular and auditory disorders

Universal transform or multiple functionality? Understanding the contribution of the human cerebellum across task domains

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Diedrichsen, Jörn, King, Maedbh, Hernandez-Castillo, Carlos, Sereno, Marty, Ivry, Richard B.·2019·Neuron

Abstract

An impressive body of research over the past 30 years has implicated the human cerebellum in a broad range of functions, including motor control, perception, language, working memory, cognitive control, and social cognition. The relatively uniform anatomy and physiology of the cerebellar cortex has given rise to the idea that this structure performs the same computational function across diverse domains. Here we highlight evidence from the human neuroimaging literature that documents the striking functional heterogeneity of the cerebellum, both in terms of task-evoked activity patterns and, as measured under task-free conditions, functional connectivity with the neocortex. Building on these observations, we discuss the theoretical challenges these results present to the idea of a universal cerebellar computation and consider the alternative concept of multiple functionality, the idea that the same underlying circuit implements functionally distinct computations.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.neuron.2019.04.021

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  • The connectivity of the cerebellum is organized in a series of parallel loops with the cerebral cortex, the striatum, and the spinal cord, making the cerebellum a key sensorimotor interface: each region receives inputs from a specific region of the central nervous system and sends back projections to these same regions.

    “The connectivity of the cerebellum is organized in a series of parallel loops with the cerebral cortex, the striatum, and the spinal cord, which makes the cerebellum a key sensorimotor interface: each region of the cerebellum receives inputs from a specific region of the central nervous system, and sends back projections to these same regions (Sokolov et al., 2017; Diedrichsen et al., 2019; Cabar”

    From The Forward Model: A Unifying Theory for the Role of the Cerebellum in Motor Control and Sense of Agency (2021) · cites this paper as Diedrichsen et al., 2019

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  • The diversity of cerebellar functions could rely on a single cerebellar computation embedded in parallel cerebro-cerebellar loops.

    “Contrary to the neocortex, the local circuitry of the cerebellum is highly uniform across its different regions, suggesting that the diversity of cerebellar functions could rely on a single cerebellar computation that would be embedded in parallel cerebro-cerebellar loops (Diedrichsen et al., 2019).”

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  1. Eccles JC, Ito M, and Szentagothai J (1967). The cerebellum as a neural machine (Berlin: Springer Verlag).

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Authors
Diedrichsen, J., King, M., Hernandez-Castillo, C., Sereno, M., & Ivry, R. B.
Affiliations
  • Western University (CA)
  • University of California, Berkeley (US)
Corresponding author
Diedrichsen, Jörn
Venue
Neuron
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2019-06
Volume
102
Issue
5
Pages
918-928
ISSN
0896-6273 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2948714962
Cited by
281
References
103
Citations by year
2026: 33 · 2025: 45 · 2024: 41 · 2023: 54 · 2022: 36 · 2021: 38 · 2020: 25 · 2019: 9
FWCI
3.42
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Neuron (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • Scholarship@Western (Western University) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • Canadian Institutes of Health Research (PJT 159520)
  • Canada First Research Excellence Fund (BrainsCAN)
  • NIH (NS105839, NS092079)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Motor Control and Adaptation
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Functional Brain Connectivity Studies
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Neurology › Vestibular and auditory disorders
Keywords
human cerebellum, cerebellar cortex, functional heterogeneity, universal computation, motor control, working memory, cognitive control, social cognition, language
MeSH terms
Attention, Cerebellar Cortex, Cerebellum, Cognition, Humans, Language, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Memory, Short-Term, Movement, Perception, Functional Neuroimaging

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