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Modulating Cognition Using Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation of the Cerebellum
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Contribution of the cerebellum to cognitive performance in children and adolescents with multiple sclerosis

Katrin Weier1, Christine Till2, Vladimir Fonov1

  • 1McConnell Brain Imaging Center, Montreal Neurological Institute, McGill University, Canada.

Multiple Sclerosis (Houndmills, Basingstoke, England)
|July 24, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Pediatric multiple sclerosis (MS) patients with smaller cerebellar posterior lobe volumes and more posterior fossa lesions show impaired cognitive function, impacting processing speed and vocabulary. This highlights the critical role of the cerebellum in cognitive outcomes for youth with MS.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Pediatric Neurology
  • Neuroimmunology

Background:

  • Posterior fossa lesions are frequent in pediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (MS).
  • The cerebellum plays a crucial role in cognitive functions.
  • Understanding cerebellar involvement in pediatric MS is vital for assessing cognitive impact.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the link between cerebellar pathology and cognitive abilities in young individuals with pediatric-onset MS.
  • To determine if cerebellar volume and lesion load correlate with cognitive deficits in this population.

Main Methods:

  • Compared 28 pediatric-onset MS patients with 33 healthy controls using structural MRI and neuropsychological tests.
  • Assessed intelligence, attention, processing speed, language, visuo-motor, and fine-motor skills.
  • Analyzed associations between cognitive outcomes and cerebellar volume, controlling for cerebral volume.

Main Results:

  • Pediatric MS patients exhibited reduced cognitive and motor performance compared to controls.
  • Cerebellar posterior lobe volume and infratentorial lesion volume significantly predicted information processing and vocabulary performance in MS patients, independent of cerebral volume.
  • No significant differences in overall cerebellar volumes were found between groups.

Conclusions:

  • Reduced cerebellar posterior lobe volume and increased posterior fossa lesion burden are associated with adverse cognitive outcomes in pediatric-onset MS.
  • These cerebellar factors significantly impact cognitive functions like processing speed and vocabulary in affected youth.
  • Cerebellar pathology represents an important functional consequence of MS onset during childhood.
Abstract

Keywords:
Cerebellumcognitionmultiple sclerosispediatricvolumetric MRI

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