The Cerebellum and Disorders of Emotion

Abstract

Neuropsychological and experimental brain research have provided independent lines of evidence in support of cerebellar involvement in disorders of emotion. Medial cerebellar structures and their connections to the limbic system are involved in visceral aspects and the generation of emotions, whereas the posterolateral cerebello-thalamo-cortical loops are implicated in emotion regulation and subjective sense of control. Disturbances within these cerebellar-centred circuits are proposed to underlie homeostatic dysregulation and suboptimal predictive coding that provide a transdiagnostic mechanism by which the cerebellum may contribute to the vulnerability and persistence of mental disorders.