Cerebellar role in Parkinson's disease

Abstract

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder associated with motor and cognitive impairments. The mechanisms underlying the pathophysiology and treatments have traditionally focused on basal ganglia-thalamo-cortical pathways due to striatal dopamine loss, but more recent evidence has highlighted the role of the cerebellum. In this Neuro Forum article, I review evidence from neuroimaging and noninvasive brain stimulation that demonstrates altered cerebellar activity in PD may be both a pathophysiological and compensatory mechanism depending on dopaminergic medication and symptoms.

Keywords: Parkinson's disease; brain stimulation; cerebellum; functional connectivity.