Cerebellar Vermis Size and Cognitive Ability in Community-Dwelling Elderly Men

The cerebellum participates in multiple cognitive functions, including those that are sensitive to decline with aging, and is also vulnerable to atrophy with aging. However, few studies have examined structure-function relationships in older adults. We measured the cross-sectional area of four areas of the cerebellar vermis in 45 community-dwelling men aged 71-76, and correlated this with individual cognitive test scores and two cognitive factors derived from principal components analysis. Two out of the four areas showed positive correlations; vermis area 4 (lobules VIII-X) correlated at r = 0.47 (p = 0.001) with a general cognitive factor accounting for almost half of the cognitive test variance. These findings support the hypothesis that variations in cerebellar structure are associated with cognitive ability in older adults.