Neurodevelopmental Disorders of the Cerebellum: Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with an incidence of 1 in 68 children. Cerebellar abnormalities have been observed in many ASD patients. The cerebellum is an elaborate brain region critically important for motor learning and coordination of movement, and increasing lines of evidence indicate that the cerebellum also contributes to emotion and cognition. In this chapter, we will review the genetic and environmental factors that may cause cerebellar deficits in ASD patients. Structural and functional cerebellar abnormalities based on neuroimaging and histopathological studies and current approaches to management will be discussed.