The Emotional Cerebellum

Emotions represent a critical aspect of daily life in humans. Our understanding of the mechanisms of regulation of emotions has increased exponentially these last two decades. This book evaluates the contribution of the cerebellum to emotion. It outlines the current clinical, imaging and neurophysiological findings on the role of the cerebellum in key aspects of emotional processing and its influence on motor and cognitive function and social behavior. In the first section, the reader is introduced to the contributions of the cerebellum to various emotion domains, from emotion perception and recognition to transmission and encoding. Subsequent chapters provide a comprehensive picture of the neurophysiology and topography of emotion in the cerebellum and illustrate the convergence of theoretical and empirical research. Additional chapters address the cerebellum's involvement in emotional learning, emotional pain, emotional aspects of body language and perception, and its relations to social cognition including morality, music, and art. Finally, neuropsychiatric aspects of the cerebellum's influence on mood disorders and the current state of therapeutic options, including noninvasive stimulation approaches, complete the overview. This is the first book summarizing the current state of knowledge on the contribution of the cerebellum to important aspects of emotion. It is an essential reference for students, trainees, neuroscientists, researchers, and clinicians in neuroscience, neurology, neurosurgery and psychology involved in the study of emotions. The authors are renowned scientists in the field of cerebellar research.