Wow! I had some great CPD at this year’s CEN ‘The Emotional Brain’ Conference at University of Bristol exploring the role of the cerebellum in emotions.
Highlights were the importance of timings in social interactions, and the cerebellum’s role in these. Also very significant was new research from the highly engaging Dr Catherine Stoodley from the Developing Brain Research Lab, Washington DC, demonstrating the importance of a well-functioning cerebellum at an early age, because if this is not functioning well in infanthood, then the likelihood vastly increases for developing a neurodevelopmental disorder.
Throughout our lifetime, the cerebellum has a crucial role in regulation and automation of a whole range of processes and actions.
Until recently, the usual logic has been that if there is an area of decompensation (dysfunction/lesion) in the brain then the best time to get it is in early childhood, when the brain is more plastic and can compensate for this. But it turns out the opposite is true with the cerebellum: problems in the cerebellum in infanthood lead to widespread issues with normal brain development. The cerebellum or ‘little brain’ is clearly important as a gateway for the normal process of brain development.
Natural stimulation of the cerebellum in the womb and early infanthood have already been related to movement, particularly in relation to gravity (stimulation and tuning of the vestibular system), however many lectures also touched on the complexities and sub-divisions of the cerebellum and it’s role in so many processes and functions – possibly opening the door to a wide-range of ways to stimulate (and remediate) this brain structure with more precision.
For general stimulation, there were also some very interesting presentations on the promising use of tDCS, and the positive knock-on effects throughout the rest of the brain.
Also at the event was the beautiful work of one of my favourite artists, Ramon y Cajal – the Father of Neuroscience – an exhibition travelling around the work. Seeing his work up close you realise what an intricate artist he was, and the excitement he must have felt as he marvelled at the views down his microscope .
I was also really chuffed to attend this event with my lovely and inspiring colleague, neuroscientist, Louise Baker, a year after we graduated from our University of Cambridge Functional Neuro-anatomy course!
I came away very grateful for all the insights, for meeting inspiring people passionate about finding solutions to help others; and, overall, having had a fantastic time :-))))
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Discover the wide range of sensory, balance, movement, lifestyle therapies incorporated under neuroplasticity therapies.
