Cognitive decline is a normal part of human life. As we age, our mental sharpness is not as keen as it once was. Unfortunately, cognitive decline is also a symptom that manifests in the presence of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). The fear of losing cognitive ability because of AD can be a very scary thought for many individuals. Many scientists, researchers, and doctors have acknowledged this fear and have sought to find a cure or effective intervention. Although no cures have been found yet, many interventions have been developed to help alleviate or even prevent the development of these symptoms. Moreover, many researchers have conducted experiments to determine what areas of the brain may lead to the onset of AD.
Researchers are now looking at the brain from many different lenses hoping to detect any possible indicators of pre-symptomatic AD risks. Over the years, researchers have looked into what brain regions are responsible, or at least associated with, the cognitive decline caused by AD. Though the literature written on this topic is very limited, much of the research has focused on the cerebellum and its relationship with nervous system functioning. Since then, there has been a spark of interest for many researchers regarding the role of the cerebellum in different neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders, including AD.
In their article, “Cerebellar EEG source localization reveals age-related compensatory activity moderated by genetic risk for Alzheimer's Disease” authors Elizabeth R. Paitel and Kristy A. Nielson analyzed the cerebellar EEG localization of older adults participating in a complex inhibitory control task. Their study was able to detect age-related compensatory cerebellar activity in this adult population. The key takeaway of their study is that the cerebellum may be impacted early in individuals with a genetic risk of developing AD. While Paitel and Nielsons’ article points to the possible cause of cognitive decline, other researchers take a different approach to the topic by highlighting the effects of cerebellar deficits. For instance, in the article “The cerebellum in Alzheimer’s disease: evaluating its role in cognitive decline” researchers Heidi L. Jacobs and colleagues note that cerebellar damage may lead to various cognitive deficits. Across numerous studies researchers have found that “Speed of information processing, speed and variability in learning sequences, timing and predicting temporal order, development of automaticity through learning, perceptual processing, and the capacity of working memory load are tasks affected in patients with cerebellar damage” (Jacobs et. al., 2018). It can be argued that the first article focuses more on the direct correlation between cerebellum and early AD symptoms while the second focuses more on the cognitive effects. Needless to say, these are two important articles which prove there is a strong relationship between the two factors of interest.
With all of that being said, cerebellar damage is not the main cause of Alzheimer’s Disease. Research has shown that certain cognitive deficits manifest because of the cerebellum, but research has not proven it to be an exact cause-and-effect relationship.
References:
Jacobs, H. I., Hopkins, D. A., Mayrhofer, H. C., Bruner, E., van Leeuwen, F. W., Raaijmakers, W., & Schmahmann, J. D. (2017). The cerebellum in alzheimer’s disease: Evaluating its role in cognitive decline. Brain, 141(1), 37–47. https://doi.org/10.1093/brain/awx194
Paitel, E. R., & Nielson, K. A. (2023). Cerebellar eeg source localization reveals age‐related compensatory activity moderated by genetic risk for alzheimer’s disease. Psychophysiology, 60(12). https://doi.org/10.1111/psyp.14395
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