The brain’s “little brain” may hold big promise for people with language trouble.
Tucked into the base of the brain, the fist-sized cerebellum is most known for its role in movement, posture and coordination. A new study maps the language system in this out-of-the-way place. These results, published January 22 in Neuron, uncover a spot in the cerebellum that shows strong and selective activity for language.
The new study is “excellent,” says neurologist and cerebellum researcher Jeremy Schmahmann of Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston. His work and that of others have shown that the cerebellum contributes to language and thinking more generally. The new research