“Cerebellar cognitive affective syndrome CCAS – a case report”

Abstract

Aim:The aim of the study was to describe a case of the patient with cerebellar cognitive affective syndrome CCAS,characterize the role of cerebellum in the regulation of cognitive functions and present the procedure of neuropsychological diagnosis useful in indicating the specific cognitive and emotional problems in patients with cerebellar damage. Case report:A 41- year old man with an ischemic cerebellar stroke of its right hemisphere manifested the neuropsychological symptoms typical for the frontal damage: euphoric mood, disorganized behavior, lack of criticism and mental plasticity, tendency to shorten the personal distance, problems with mistake correction. In neuropsychological diagnosis we used following methods: Raven Progressive Matrices Test, Mini Mental Stage Examination (MMSE), Trail Making Test, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Stroop Interference Test, Word Fluency Test, Auditory Verbal Learning Test by Łuria, Benton Visual Retention Test, Digit Span. Results:Analyzing the obtained results we observed the significant decrease of all executive functions: planning, abstract thinking, cognitive flexibility, adaptation to new situations as well as memory impairments and changes in emotional and behavioral state similar to frontal syndrome.The whole of impairments including the typical cerebellar symptoms (ataxia, dysarthria, dysmetria,hypotonia) create the cerebellar cognitive affective syndrome CCAS with leading role of dysexecutive syndrome. Conclusions:The cerebellum takes part in the regulation of cognitive functions. The cerebellar damages can imitate the emotional- cognitive problems of patients after frontal damages what additionally stress the functional link between these two brain structures. Patient’s with cerebellar damages should have neuropsychological and neuropsychiatric diagnosis and care.