cerebellum

is the main structure in the hindbrain, situated at the base of the brain, at the top of the spinal cord. The cerebellum controls our balance and postural stability, and is involved in motor coordination - not, it appears, in the initial learning of motor skills, but in the performance and improvement of learned motor skills. Some regions of the cerebellum are especially vulnerable to the effects of chronic alcoholism. The hindbrain, although far from the frontal lobes, is connected to those regions, most especially through the pons and the thalamus. Recent rat studies have also suggested that the cerebellum may be involved in some way in remembering strong emotions, in particular, in the consolidation of long-term memories of fear. There is also growing evidence that the cerebellum might also be involved in processing speech and language.

How taking an active role in learning enhances memory

We know active learning is better than passive learning, but for the first time a study gives us some idea of how that works. Participants in the imaging study were asked to memorize an array of objects and their exact locations in a grid on a computer screen. Only one object was visible at a time. Those in the "active study” group used a computer mouse to guide the window revealing the objects, while those in the “passive study” group watched a replay of the window movements recorded in a previous trial by an active subject.

Chemotherapy alters brain tissue in breast cancer patients

Over the years I’ve reported on a number of studies investigating the effect of chemotherapy on the brain. A new study uses brain imaging, before and after treatment for breast cancer, to show that there is an anatomic basis for “chemobrain” complaints.

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