Non-invasive Brain Stimulation of the Cerebellum in Emotion

Transcranial magnetic and direct current stimulation are non-invasive brain stimulation techniques that are used to investigate cerebellar functions in healthy and clinical populations. These approaches allow transient modulation of neural excitability of the human cerebellar cortex to directly examine phenomenological, behavioral, and physiological aspects of motivation and emotion. While cerebellar neurostimulation in the field of social and affective neuroscience is still in its initial phase, empirical evidence confirms the direct involvement of the cerebellum in motivation and emotion. Non-invasive stimulation of the cerebellum provides a unique experimental approach to study the relation between the cerebellum and emotions in humans.