On the cerebellum and language: neurostimulation and imaging studies

Mounting evidence suggests a cerebellar role in language, but to date few efforts have been made to characterise this role. A well-accepted model of cerebellar function in motor control posits that forward model prediction is the central function of the cerebellum, and the cerebellar architecture is suggestive of a single cerebellar computation. Recent accounts of linguistic function have proposed that forward model prediction is integral to receptive and productive language. The aim of this thesis was to explore cerebellar language function in the context of prediction. In Chapter two, right cerebellar transcranial magnetic stimulation during an eye-tracking task affected a measure of online linguistic prediction. In Chapter three, the same linguistic prediction task was used in a group of cerebellar patients and control subjects. The deficit reported in Chapter two was not found in this chapter, but data-acquisition for the study is still ongoing. Chapter four describes a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study where resting state connectivity before and after the acquisition of a new lexicon was compared. The right cerebellum was engaged in lexical learning. Chapter five reports posterolateral cerebellar and inferior frontal gyral activity related to online prediction using an event-related fMRI design where predictability is manipulated. Overall, findings are consistent with a cerebellar role in predictive language