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Cerebellar fMRI Activation Increases with Increasing Working Memory Demands

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Abstract

The aim of the present study was to explore cerebellar contributions to the central executive in n-back working memory tasks using 7-T functional magnetic imaging (fMRI). We hypothesized that cerebellar activation increased with increasing working memory demands. Activations of the cerebellar cortex and dentate nuclei were compared between 0-back (serving as a motor control task), 1-back, and 2-back working memory tasks for both verbal and abstract modalities. A block design was used. Data of 27 participants (mean age 26.6 ± 3.8 years, female/male 12:15) were included in group statistical analysis. We observed that cerebellar cortical activations increased with higher central executive demands in n-back tasks independent of task modality. As confirmed by subtraction analyses, additional bilateral activations following higher executive demands were found primarily in four distinct cerebellar areas: (i) the border region of lobule VI and crus I, (ii) inferior parts of the lateral cerebellum (lobules crus II, VIIb, VIII, IX), (iii) posterior parts of the paravermal cerebellar cortex (lobules VI, crus I, crus II), and (iv) the inferior vermis (lobules VI, VIIb, VIII, IX). Dentate activations were observed for both verbal and abstract modalities. Task-related increases were less robust and detected for the verbal n-back tasks only. These results provide further evidence that the cerebellum participates in an amodal bilateral neuronal network representing the central executive during working memory n-back tasks.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Hufelandstrasse 55, 45122, Essen, Germany

    M. Küper, P. Kaschani, M. Thürling, M. R. Stefanescu, R. G. Burciu & D. Timmann

  2. Department of Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology, Klinikum Vest, Recklinghausen, Germany

    M. Küper

  3. Erwin L. Hahn Institute for Magnetic Resonance Imaging, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany

    M. Thürling, M. R. Stefanescu, S. Maderwald & M. E. Ladd

  4. Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

    R. G. Burciu

  5. Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology and Neuroradiology, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany

    S. Göricke

  6. Medical Physics in Radiology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany

    M. E. Ladd

  7. Department of Nuclear Medicine (KME), Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Julich, Germany

    H. Hautzel

  8. Department of Nuclear Medicine, Medical Faculty, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany

    H. Hautzel

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  1. M. Küper
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  6. S. Göricke
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  7. S. Maderwald
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  8. M. E. Ladd
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  9. H. Hautzel
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  10. D. Timmann
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Correspondence to M. Küper.

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Küper, M., Kaschani, P., Thürling, M. et al. Cerebellar fMRI Activation Increases with Increasing Working Memory Demands. Cerebellum 15, 322–335 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12311-015-0703-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12311-015-0703-7

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