Cerebellar dysfunction may play an important role in post-stroke depression

The cerebellum has traditionally been looked upon as a brain area primarily involved in motor behavior. The last decade has however heralded the cerebellum as a brain region of renewed interest for neuropsychiatric disorders. The relationship between cerebellum and neuropsychiatric disorders are increasingly understood. Recent data suggests that cerebellar dysfunction may be common, especially in depression. Other studies have suggested that cerebellar dysfunction is associated with poor mood. More recently, there are a few clinical trials found that electrical stimulation of fastigial nucleus in cerebellum could improve symptom of post-stroke depression (PSD), though the relationship between cerebellum and PSD is unclear. Given that the relationship between cerebellum and neuropsychiatric disorders has been recognized, and that it seems that there is a similar pathogenesis association between neuropsychiatric disorders (especially for depression) and PSD which appears as a special type of mental illness among neuropsychiatric disorders. The hypotheses of cerebellar role in PSD, which will be discussed in this paper, has been proposed. If confirmed, this hypothesis may lead to the formulation of new pathogenesis and new therapeutic approaches to PSD. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.