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Updated: Jan 2, 2026

Disruption of Frontal Lobe Neural Synchrony During Cognitive Control by Alcohol Intoxication
Published on: February 6, 2019
Alcohol and the Cerebellum: Effects on Balance, Motor Coordination, and Cognition
Edith V Sullivan1, Margaret J Rosenbloom1, Anjali Deshmukh1
1Edith V. Sullivan, Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, and a health science specialist in the Psychiatry Service, Veterans Affairs (VA) Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, California. Margaret J. Rosenbloom, M.A., is a health science specialist in the Psychiatry Service, VA Palo Alto Health Care System. Anjali Deshmukh, M.D., is a postdoctoral fellow in the Psychiatry Service, VA Palo Alto Health Care System. John E. Desmond, Ph.D., is a research fellow in the Department of Radiology, Stanford University. Adolf Pfefferbaum, M.D., is a professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, and director of psychiatry research in the Psychiatry Service, VA Palo Alto Health Care System.
Abstract:
Alcoholics often suffer from motor incoordination resulting from alcohol-related cerebellar damage. However, the effect of cerebellar structural damage on cognitive functioning has not been clearly demonstrated. It is not known if the relationships observed between cerebellar damage and functional impairments persist with abstinence from alcohol. Cell death may cause permanent loss of function, whereas tissue shrinkage without permanent cell loss might represent the potential for recovery. This article examines research on the interrelationship of alcohol-related abnormalities in cerebellar structure and function. Research such as this may provide knowledge to guide future rehabilitation efforts.
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