Emotional Communication Disorders in Cerebellar Disease

Summary

The cerebellum has been linked to cognitive and emotional functions and there is increasing evidence that damage to posterior portions of the cerebellum can result in frontal-executive, visuospatial, and verbal deficits, including dysprosodia, and affective changes including blunting of affect or disinhibited and inappropriate behavior. Based on preliminary clinical observations and tests performed in the investigator's clinic, disorders of emotional communication may also be associated with cerebellar dysfunction. Emotional communication includes the production and comprehension of facial and prosodic expressions and is critical to maintaining positive and supportive relationships. Deficits in emotional communication can have devastating effects on relationships and on quality of life for those affected. Although deficits in affect and prosody have been reported in association with posterior cerebellar disorders, there are currently no studies systematically investigating emotional communication in individuals with cerebellar dysfunction. It is known that the cerebellum has strong connections with the cerebral cortex, especially the frontal lobes, and that cortical damage from stroke or neurodegenerative disease can result in disorders of emotional communication. Impairments in the integrity of cerebellar-cerebral networks from cerebellar disease may produce similar deficits in emotional communication. The purpose of this study is to systematically investigate and describe deficits in emotional communication in a series of patients with cerebellar disease. Participants will be individuals diagnosed with posterior cerebellar degeneration or damage from a non-hemorrhagic infarction, and age-matched neurologically healthy controls. Assessment will include a battery of tests of neuropsychological function as well as tests of emotional communication. Comprehension of emotional facial and prosodic expressions will be assessed as well as production of emotional communication. The expected outcomes will be to identify and describe deficits in production and comprehension of emotional prosodic and facial expressions and to describe the relationship between deficits in emotional communication and cerebellar atrophy with magnetic resonance imaging imaging (MRI) using voxel based morphometry (VBM).

Conditions

• Cerebellar Diseases

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Testing of emotional communication ability

Assessment of comprehension and expression of emotional facial and prosodic expressions and assessment of emotional reactivity via ratings of emotionally evocative pictures and words.

PROCEDURE

magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain

Cerebellar participants who score at least 1 and a 1/2 standard deviations below the mean on the Florida Affect Battery and who have no contra-indications to scanning will be given an MRI. Healthy control participants who are willing and able to be scanned will also be given an MRI of the brain to use for analysis comparison.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• National Institute on Aging (NIA)

  collaborator NIH

• University of Florida

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Kenneth M Heilman, MD · University of Florida

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

90 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2014-04-30

Primary Completion

2016-12-31

Completion

2016-12-31

Countries

• United States

Study Locations