Continuous manipulation of mental representations is compromised in cerebellar degeneration.

ABSTRACT: We introduce a novel perspective on how the cerebellum might contribute to cognition, hypothesizing that this structure supports dynamic transformations of mental representations. In support of this hypothesis, we report a series of neuropsychological experiments comparing the performance of individuals with degenerative cerebellar disorders on tasks that either entail continuous, movement-like mental operations or more discrete mental operations. In the domain of visual cognition, the cerebellar disorders group exhibited an impaired rate of mental rotation, an operation hypothesized to require the continuous manipulation of a visual representation. In contrast, the cerebellar disorders group showed a normal processing rate when scanning items in visual working memory, an operation hypothe

SUBMITTER: McDougle SD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10200308 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature