Cerebellar Involvement in Clumsiness and OtherDevelopmental Disorders

[摘要] Cerebellar abnormalities have been linked toa number of developmental disorders. Muchevidence is based on the analysis of highresolutionMRI scans. Imaging and behavioralstudies have led researchers to considerfunctional contributions of the cerebellumbeyond that associated with motor control. Ireview this literature, providing an analysis ofdifferent ways to consider the relation betweencerebellar abnormalities and developmentaldisorders. Interestingly, although clumsiness is aproblem of coordination, the contribution ofcerebellar dysfunction to this developmentalproblem has received little attention. Selectstudies indicate that some clumsy children havedifficulties on tasks requiring precise timing,similar to that observed in adult patients withcerebellar lesions. I suggest that the underlyingneural bases of clumsiness are heterogeneous,with cerebellar dysfunction likely a majorcontributor for a subpopulation of such children.

[学科分类] 精神健康和精神病学