Activation of a Cerebellar Output Nucleus During Cognitive Processing

Magnetic resonance imaging was used to examine the involvement of the dentate nucleus of the cerebellum in cognitive operations. All seven people examined displayed a large bilateral activation in the dentate during their attempts to solve a pegboard puzzle. The area activated was three to four times greater than that activated during simple movements of the pegs. These results provide support for the concept that the computational power of the cerebellum is applied not only to the control of movement but also to cognitive functions.