The Cerebellum Has a Function We Didn't Even Know About, New Research Reveals

A new discovery about the cerebellum at the back of the brain shows how complex the human body is.

When it comes to remembering positive and negative emotional experiences, this brain region has a key role to play.

The survival of our species is dependent on being able to remember when we were in danger and when we prospered.

The amygdala and hippocampus are the brain regions thought to be most responsible for consolidation of emotional memories, but as the cerebellum is linked to fear conditioning, the researchers behind the latest study wanted to see if it had a part to play in logging emotional memories as well.

The aim of the study was to find out if the cerebellum and cerebellar connections are involved in the phenomenon of superior episodic memory.

The team was able to establish that the cerebellum was involved by using brain scans of 1,418 individuals taken through fMRI scans.

When the cerebellum was active, the participants in the study remembered positive and negative images better than neutral ones.

The researchers were able to observe a greater level of communication between the cerebellum and the cerebrum. The anterior cingulate cortex was sending information to the cerebellum, as well as the amygdala and the hippocampus.

The results show that the cerebellum is an important part of a network that is responsible for improved storage of emotional information.

As with any new findings about the neural circuitry inside our heads, these findings could be useful in showing us how to repair that circuitry when something goes wrong, or if memories are imprinted all too clearly on our minds.

Mental health issues can be caused by painful or fearful experiences being brought to mind. This is something that the new research could eventually be useful with, as it has a negative impact rather than acting for our benefit.

The findings expand knowledge on the role of the cerebellum in complex cognitive and emotional processes and may be relevant for the understanding of psychiatric disorders with emotional circuitry.

The research was published in a journal.