A Preliminary Study Of Cerebellum In Cognitive Function

Objective1) To explore the different memory, visuospatial, and executive function of patients who have cerebellum lesions in different location;2) Using the fMRI To discuss initially the correlation between the cerebellar cognitive impairment and the resonance diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and the influence on cerebellar cognitive function caused by the corresponding change in different white matter of the cerebral.Methods14patients treated for unilateral cerebellar lesions (Cerebellar infarction, Cerebellar hemorrhage, Benign cerebellar tumors) in Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery in our hospital from March2012to March2013were selected as the Case group, and15random patients without any neurological diseases and other physical diseases were selected as the Control group. The case group can complete all tests of cognitive function after onset in a stable condition within1-2weeks. The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) was used for the general assessment of the cognition, the Rey auditory Vocabulary Learning Test (AVLT), digit span test (DST), Clinical Memory Scale (CMS) for the assessment of memory function, the symbol digital mode test (SDMT) and Trail Making Test (TMT) for the assessment of the visuospatial function, and Wisconsin Card Sorting test (WCST) for the assessment of executive function. The3.0T MRI was applied for DTI data collection and data transmission to the Philip workstation for measuring the major structural areas of the white matter for the FA value, and the SPSS17.0software for statistical analysis.Results1) The case group and the control group scored significantly differently (P<0.01, P<0.05) in all indicators of the assessment. Wherein, the case group scored significantly lower in MoCA, AVLT, DST, associative learning, the image free recall, the meaningless picture recognition, character features memories total memory quotient, SDMT, CC, RCP, and RFP, but scored significantly higher in TMT, RE, RP, and nRPE than the control group.2) The scores of the meaningless graphics recognition,the total memory quotient, RC, RCP, RE, RFP and the NRPE between the left side lesions and the right side lesions of the cerebellar group had significant differences (P<0.01,P<0.05):the left side scores of the meaningless graphics recognition, the total memory quotient, RC, RCP and RFP were significantly lower than that of the right side, but the left side scores of the RE and NRPE were significantly higher than that of the right side.3) The FA values of the same region of the interest area in the prefrontal lobe, the parietal lobe and the testibrachium were significant differences in the left cerebellar lesions group bilateral comparison (P<0.01, P<0.05):the left were significantly lower than the right; the FA values of the same interest region in the inferior frontal gyrus, the left prefrontal lobe, the parietal lobe, testibrachium and the medipeduncle of the cerebellar lesions on the left side group and the left side of the control group were significantly different (P<0.01, P<0.05):the case group was significantly lower than the control group; the FA values of the same interest region in the inferior frontal gyrus, the superior temporal gyrus and the parietal lobe of the cerebellar lesions on the right side group and the right side of the control group were significantly different (P<0.05):the case group was significantly lower than that the control group.4) The FA values of the same region of the interesting area in the parietal lobe and the testibrachium were significant differences in the right cerebellar lesions group bilateral comparison (P<0.01, P<0.05):the right side were significantly lower than the left side; the FA values of the same interest region in the right prefrontal lobe, the parietal lobe, the inferior frontal gyrus, the testibrachium of the cerebellar lesions on the right side group and the right side of the control group were significantly different (P<0.01, P<0.05):the case group was significantly lower than the control group; the FA values of the same interest region in the prefrontal lobe,the inferior frontal gyrus, the frontal gyrus rectus, the parietal lobe and the testibrachium of the cerebellar lesions on the left side group and the left side of the control group were significantly different (P<0.05):the case group was significantly lower than that the control group.Conclusions1) Cerebellum involves in the process of forming partially, and part of the cognitive functions, such as memory, visuospatial and executive function, will decline in varying degrees after the cerebellar lesions.2) The memory, visuospatial and executive function will be impaired to varying degrees when cerebellum has unilateral or bilateral lesions.3) The abstraction capabilities and the concept formation ability will severely impaired when the left cerebellar has lesions; while, the memory, the cognitive ability of transfer and the attention dysfaunction will badly impaired when the right cerebellar has lesions.4) The impairment of cognitive function caused by the cerebellar lesions may be related to the associated of the frontal lobe and parietal lobe fiber connections reduction.