The Cerebellum and the Reading Process

There has been a paradigm shift in the understanding of the role of the cerebellum in the nervous system, which is now suggested to be an integral component of the distributed neural circuitry, subserving even higher order functions, traditionally linked to the integrity of cerebral cortex. One of these functions is reading, which is one of the most prominent learned competencies in humans. The pathophysiology of dyslexia is largely unknown. It is usually related to brain cortical alteration. Recent evidence suggests dyslexia may involve binocular instability or alterations of accommodation. This book describes the possible role of the cerebellum in reading tasks, either considering its emergent role in mentation, either considering its traditional role in motor control. It examines the possible involvement of cerebellum in reading, which may be caused by an alteration of the diffuse projections which connect the cerebellum to different cortical areas via subcortical structures, by its involvement in spatial perception, in timing processing of cortical flow of information, and by a possible intrinsic property of the structure in cognition.