Explicit and Implicit Emotion Processing in the Cerebellum: A Meta-analysis and Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Neuroscience

Background:

• The cerebellum's function in emotion processing is increasingly acknowledged but not fully understood.
• Clinical evidence suggests affective disruptions follow cerebellar damage.

Approach:

• A meta-analysis of 80 neuroimaging studies (2761 participants) on emotion processing was conducted using GingerALE software.
• Studies were categorized based on attention focus: explicit or implicit emotion processing.

Key Points:

• Explicit emotion tasks activated posterior cerebellar hemispheres (lobule VI/Crus I/II), vermis, and left lobule V/VI.
• Implicit emotion tasks activated bilateral lobules VI/Crus I/II, right Crus II/lobule VIII, anterior lobule VI, and lobules I-IV/V.
• Five overlapping clusters were found in right lobules VI/Crus I/Crus II and left lobules V/VI/Crus I for both task types.

Conclusions:

• Both explicit and implicit emotion processing engage overlapping and distinct cerebellar regions.
• Findings support the cerebellum's role in recognizing, appraising, and reacting to emotional stimuli.