The cerebellum under stress

• Published in: Frontiers in neuroendocrinology 2019-07, Vol.54, p.100774-100774, Article 100774
• Main Author: Moreno-Rius, Josep
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Anticipation; Anticipation, Psychological; Anxiety; Anxiety Disorders - metabolism; Anxiety Disorders - pathology; Anxiety Disorders - physiopathology; Cerebellum; Cerebellum - metabolism; Cerebellum - pathology; Cerebellum - physiopathology; Depression; Humans; Nerve Net - metabolism; Nerve Net - pathology; Nerve Net - physiopathology; Post-traumatic stress disorder; Prediction; Stress; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - metabolism; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - pathology; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - physiopathology; Stress, Psychological - complications; Stress, Psychological - metabolism; Stress, Psychological - pathology; Stress, Psychological - physiopathology
• ISSN: 0091-3022; 1095-6808
• DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2019.100774

•Acute and repeated stressor exposure in animals affects the cerebellum.•Stressful experiences modify cerebellar activity and structure in humans.•Altered cerebellum-based prediction processes are proposed to explain the findings. Stress-related psychiatric conditions are one of the main causes of disability in developed countries. They account for a large portion of resource investment in stress-related disorders, become chronic, and remain difficult to treat. Research on the neurobehavioral effects of stress reveals how changes in certain brain areas, mediated by a number of neurochemical messengers, markedly alter behavior. The cerebellum is connected with stress-related brain areas and expresses the machinery required to process stress-related neurochemical mediators. Surprisingly, it is not regarded as a substrate of stress-related behavioral alterations, despite numerous studies that show cerebellar responsivity to stress. Therefore, this review compiles those studies and proposes a hypothesis for cerebellar function in stressful conditions, relating it to stress-induced psychopathologies. It aims to provide a clearer picture of stress-related neural circuitry and stimulate cerebellum-stress research. Consequently, it might contribute to the development of improved treatment strategies for stress-related disorders.