title: Task switching after cerebellar damage.
abstract: The authors of this study investigated task switching following cerebellar damage. The study group consisted of 7 children and adolescents (M age=13.8 years) who underwent surgical removal of a benign posterior fossa tumor. They were tested at a sufficient interval after surgery (M lag=6.13 years) for restoration of normal cognitive skills and intelligence. Although all showed normal learning of the task compared with control participants, when rapid behavioral changes were required (short preparation time), they exhibited behavioral rigidity manifested by enhanced switching cost. These results are in line with another study on serial reaction time with the same patients (A. Berger et al., in press). They have important implications for our understanding of the cognitive sequelae of early cerebellar damage as well as the involvement of the cerebellum in task switching.
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Sciences and Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Berger
authors.affiliation: Child Development and Rehabilitation Department, Schneider Children's Medical Center.
authors.forename: Michelle
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sadeh
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Sciences and Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
authors.forename: Gabriel
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tzur
authors.affiliation: Hematology and Oncology Department, Schneider Children's Medical Center.
authors.forename: Avinoam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shuper
authors.affiliation: Imaging Department, Schneider Children's Medical Center.
authors.forename: Liora
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kornreich
authors.affiliation: Child Development and Rehabilitation Department, Schneider Children's Medical Center.
authors.forename: Dov
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Inbar
authors.affiliation: Hematology and Oncology Department, Schneider Children's Medical Center.
authors.forename: Ian J
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Neurosurgery Department, Schneider Children's Medical Center.
authors.forename: Shalom
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Michowiz
authors.affiliation: Hematology and Oncology Department, Schneider Children's Medical Center.
authors.forename: Isaac
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Yaniv
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Neurosurgery, Dana Children's Hospital, Tel Aviv Medical Center.
authors.forename: Shlomi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Constantini
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Sciences and Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
authors.forename: Yoav
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kessler
authors.affiliation: Department of Behavioral Sciences and Zlotowski Center for Neuroscience, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
authors.forename: Nachshon
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Merian
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002526:Cerebellar Diseases / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D007839:Functional Laterality; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D015192:Infratentorial Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000601:surgery; D007266:Inhibition, Psychological; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology