The detailed organization of the human cerebellum estimated by intrinsic functional connectivity within the individual

Abstract

Distinct regions of the cerebellum connect to separate regions of the cerebral cortex forming a complex topography. While cerebellar organization has been examined in group-averaged data, study of individuals provides an opportunity to discover features that emerge at a higher spatial resolution. Here functional connectivity MRI was used to examine the cerebellum of two intensively-sampled individuals (each scanned 31 times). Connectivity to somatomotor cortex showed the expected crossed laterality and topography of the body maps. A surprising discovery was connectivity to the primary visual cortex along the vermis with evidence for representation of the central field. Within the hemispheres, each individual displayed a hierarchical progression from the inverted anterior lobe somatomotor map through to higher-order association zones. The hierarchy ended at Crus I/II and then progressed in reverse order through to the upright somatomotor map in the posterior lobe. Evidence for a third set of networks was found in the most posterior extent of the cerebellum. Detailed analysis of the higher-order association networks revealed robust representations of two distinct networks linked to the default network, multiple networks linked to cognitive control, as well as a separate representation of a language network. While idiosyncratic spatial details emerged between subjects, each network could be detected in both individuals, and seed regions placed within the cerebellum recapitulated the full extent of the spatially-specific cerebral networks. The observation of multiple networks in juxtaposed regions at the Crus I/II apex confirms the importance of this zone to higher-order cognitive function and reveals new organizational details.

Functional MRI of Native and Non-native Speech Sound Production in Sequential German-English Bilinguals

“…Electric stimulation during neurosurgery demonstrated that the movements of the face and mouth are primarily represented in the hemispheric lobule VI (Mottolese et al, 2013). A recent high-resolution study on two individual subjects, investigating the functional connectivity between the cerebrum and the cerebellum using resting-state FMRI, corroborated this result (Xue et al, 2021). A graph theoretical analysis further elucidated the critical role of hemispheric lobule VI in the speech production network (Simonyan and Fuertinger, 2015).…”

Overview of the Complex Figure Test and Its Clinical Application in Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Including Copying and Recall

“…Cerebellar injury shows poor visuospatial skills. Resting-state functional connectivity studies show the connection between the cerebellum and the parietal lobe involved in visuospatial integration ( 58 ). The cerebellum may contribute to figuring organization to promote effective visuospatial integration and perception while encoding shapes.…”

Perceptual-motor styles

“…The results showed that the pattern of activity in rostrolateral prefrontal cortex distinguished individuals who rely on relative uncertainty for their exploratory decisions versus those who do not. Another recent study (Xue et al 2021) used functional connectivity MRI to examine the cerebellum of two intensively-sampled individuals (each scanned 31 times) and found idiosyncratic spatial details between these subjects. Hilt et al (2020) addressed the issue of how individual motor styles are dealt with during action observation.…”