Language and the Cerebellum: Structural Connectivity to the Eloquent Brain.

Neurobiological models of receptive language have focused on the left-hemisphere perisylvian cortex with the assumption that the cerebellum supports peri-linguistic cognitive processes such as verbal working memory. The goal of this study was to identify language-sensitive regions of the cerebellum then map the structural connectivity profile of these regions. Functional imaging data and diffusion-weighted imaging data from the Human Connectome Project (HCP) were analyzed.

Preliminary validation of the Virtual Kitchen Challenge as an objective and sensitive measure of everyday function associated with cerebrovascular disease.

Unlabelled: Preliminary validity of a computer-based test of everyday function (Virtual Kitchen Challenge [VKC]) was examined against brain-imaging markers of cerebrovascular disease and in contrast to conventional neuropsychological and self-report measures. Twenty community-dwelling older adults ( = 6 mild cognitive impairment) performed simulated breakfast and lunch tasks using a computer touchscreen (VKC). Automated measures (completion time, proportion time off screen, etc.

Adolescents at risk for depression show increased white matter microstructure with age across diffuse areas of the brain.

Maternal history of depression is a strong predictor of depression in offspring and linked to structural and functional alterations in the developing brain. However, very little work has examined differences in white matter in adolescents at familial risk for depression. In a sample aged 9-14 (n = 117), we used tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) to examine differences in white matter microstructure between adolescents with (n = 42) and without (n = 75) maternal history of depression.

Awake Hippocampal-Cortical Co-reactivation Is Associated with Forgetting.

Systems consolidation theories posit that consolidation occurs primarily through a coordinated communication between hippocampus and neocortex [Moscovitch, M., & Gilboa, A. Systems consolidation, transformation and reorganization: Multiple trace theory, trace transformation theory and their competitors.

Little brain, little minds: The big role of the cerebellum in social development.

Seminal work in the 1990's found alterations in the cerebellum of individuals with social disorders including autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia. In neurotypical populations, distinct portions of the posterior cerebellum are consistently activated in fMRI studies of social cognition and it has been hypothesized that the cerebellum plays an essential role in social cognition, particularly in theory of mind. Here we review the lesion literature and find that the effect of cerebellar damage on social cognition is strongly linked to the age of insult, with dramatic impairments observed after prenatal insult, strong deficits observed after childhood damage, and mild and inconsistent deficits observed following damage to the adult cerebellum.

Building the perfect curse word: A psycholinguistic investigation of the form and meaning of taboo words.

Taboo words represent a potent subset of natural language. It has been hypothesized that "tabooness" reflects an emergent property of negative valence and high physiological arousal of word referents. Many taboo words (e.

A psychopharmacological treatment algorithm for generalised anxiety disorder (GAD).

Generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) is defined as excessive and uncontrollable worry and anxiety about everyday life situations. It is a chronic disorder, and is associated with substantial somatisation, high rates of comorbid depression and other anxiety disorders, and significant disability. The evidence base for pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy has continued to grow, and a wide range of drug choices for GAD now exists.

A new algorithm for treating schizophrenia.

This article presents two algorithms dealing with the management of schizophrenia. One provides a strategy for initiating pharmacologic treatment of schizophrenia and for ongoing medication management. The other covers suggestions for managing several common comorbid psychiatric conditions and some common side effects.

Laboratory services for psychiatric facilities.

The science and marketing of psychiatric treatment are rapidly changing, and the changes are reflected, in part, in the recent evolution of the use of laboratory services. Nevertheless, there are few, if any, articles in the literature addressing how a laboratory service can best assist a psychiatric hospital. This article presents a scaffolding of current issues to be considered when determining how a laboratory can assist the psychiatric facility.

Plasma and erythrocyte levels of tricyclic antidepressants in depressed patients.

Plasma and red blood cells (RBCs), amitriptyline, nortriptyline, imipramine, desipramine, doxepin, and desmethyl doxepin levels were measured in depressed inpatients during steady-state kinetics. A strong positive correlation between the drug levels in plasma and RBCs was found for amitriptyline, nortriptyline, desipramine, and desmethyl doxepin. However, at a given plasma level, up to a 6-fold interindividual variation in the RBC drug levels was found.