The cerebellum in emotional learning – CerebellEMO

The cerebellum (Cb) is a major brain structure with extensive connections to both caudal brainstem and rostral sub-cortical areas. The Cb is eminently known for its control of motor functions. However recent findings suggest that it could also play a central role in the regulation of emotional behaviors via its interactions with limbic structures like the amygdala. Our hypothesis is that the Cb regulates affective states by computing and adjusting the coherence between external conditioning stimuli experienced and the ensuing emotional responses. Focusing on the processing of fear information, we will examine the affective implications of cerebellar activity by: 1) studying the fear prediction error signals generated by the Cb during emotional learning, 2) establishing the neural pathways that anatomically and functionally link the Cb with the amygdala, 3) examining the synaptic mechanisms that underlie the development of fear memories in cerebello-limbic circuits.