title: Cortico-Cerebellar Connectivity in Autism Spectrum Disorder: What Do We Know So Far?
abstract: Although the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is renowned to be a connectivity disorder and a condition characterized by cerebellar involvement, the connectivity between the cerebellum and other cortical brain regions is particularly underexamined. Indeed, converging evidence has recently suggested that the cerebellum could play a key role in the etiopathogenesis of ASD, since cerebellar anomalies have been consistently reported in ASD from the molecular to the behavioral level, and damage to the cerebellum early in development has been linked with signs of autistic features. In addition, current data have shown that the cerebellum is a key structure not only for sensory-motor control, but also for "higher functions," such as social cognition and emotion, through its extensive connections with cortical areas. The disruption of these circuits could be implicated in the wide range of autistic symptoms that the term "spectrum" connotes. In this review, we present and discuss the recent findings from imaging studies that investigated cortico-cerebellar connectivity in people with ASD. The literature is still too limited to allow for definitive conclusions; however, this brief review reveals substantial areas for future studies, underlining currently unmet research perspectives.
authors.affiliation: Scientific Institute, IRCCS Eugenio Medea, Lecco, Italy; Department of Psychology, University of Milano - Bicocca, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Crippa
authors.affiliation: Scientific Institute, IRCCS Eugenio Medea , Lecco , Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Del Vecchio
authors.affiliation: Scientific Institute, IRCCS Eugenio Medea , Lecco , Italy.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Busti Ceccarelli
authors.affiliation: Scientific Institute, IRCCS Eugenio Medea, Lecco, Italy; Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Hermanas Hospitalarias, FoRiPsi, Albese con Cassano, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nobile
authors.affiliation: Scientific Institute, IRCCS Eugenio Medea , Lecco , Italy.
authors.forename: Filippo
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Arrigoni
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosciences and Mental Health, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, University of Milan, Milan, Italy; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Brambilla
keywords: DTI; autism; autism spectrum disorders; cortico-cerebellar connectivity; fMRI; resting-state fMRI