Abstract
Although the frontal lobes have traditionally been considered the neural substrates of executive functioning (EF), recent studies have suggested that other structures, such as the cerebellum, may be associated with these abilities. The role of the cerebellum has only been sparsely investigated in connection with decision making (DM), an important component of EF, and the few results obtained on this front have been inconclusive. The current study sought to investigate the role of the cerebellum in DM by comparing the performance of patients with cerebellar strokes, frontal-damaged patients, and a healthy control group on the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT). A total of nine cerebellar-damaged adults participated in the study, as well as nine individuals with frontal strokes and 18 control individuals. Patients were administered a version of the IGT adapted to the population of Southern Brazil. There was a marginal difference in mean IGT net scores between the two clinical groups, although both displayed impaired performance as compared to the control group. Overall, the DM ability of patients with cerebellar damage proved to be more preserved than that of individuals with frontal lobe strokes, but less preserved than that of the control group. These data suggested that, while the frontal lobes may be the most important brain structures for DM, the cerebellum might also play an active role in this cognitive function. Future studies assessing participants with lesions in different cerebellar regions and hemispheres will prove invaluable for the understanding of the neural structures involved in DM, and make significant contributions to the globalist-localizationist debate in DM neuroscience.
Highlights
Of all the cognitive processes explored by clinical and cognitive neuropsychology, executive functioning (EF) stands as one of the most extensively studied due to its complexity, interrelations with other cognitive processes, and the ongoing search for a sufficiently comprehensive theoretical model
Executive subcomponents which are more heavily based on rational thinking, such as logical reasoning and planning, are generally associated with the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, whereas functions which depend on emotional and motivational processing, such as social behavior regulation and decision making (DM), are more closely associated with ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC) functioning (Ardila, 2008; Chan et al, 2008; Brock et al, 2009)
Net Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) scores differed between the clinical groups and the control participants, while the two clinical groups trended toward a significant difference from each other
Summary
Of all the cognitive processes explored by clinical and cognitive neuropsychology, executive functioning (EF) stands as one of the most extensively studied due to its complexity, interrelations with other cognitive processes, and the ongoing search for a sufficiently comprehensive theoretical model. Some of the most robust evidence linking frontal lobe activity to EF comes from patients with frontal lesions, who often present with impairments in tasks that assess EF (Bechara et al, 1994; Burgess and Shallice, 1996; Stuss et al, 2000). Such studies have shed light on the more specific anatomical bases of different EF. Executive subcomponents which are more heavily based on rational thinking, such as logical reasoning and planning, are generally associated with the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, whereas functions which depend on emotional and motivational processing, such as social behavior regulation and decision making (DM), are more closely associated with ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC) functioning (Ardila, 2008; Chan et al, 2008; Brock et al, 2009)
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