The Emerging Landscape of the Cerebellum after a Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury: From Diaschisis to Sociality

Abstract

There is an expanding interest in the cerebellum in the context of focal and diffuse traumatic injuries to the cerebral cortex. In the adult brain, preclinical studies have revealed acute as well as progressive loss of Purkinje cells in the cerebellum coincident with microglial activation. This pathogenesis, remote to the site of the primary injury, is termed "diaschisis." Here we consider traumatic injuries to the developing brain, where the cerebellum likewise undergoes neurodegeneration. As injury is superimposed on a young brain, long-term adverse consequences may reflect diaschisis that is compounded by disruption of brain development.

Keywords: Cerebellum; Diaschisis; Pediatric traumatic brain injuries; Sociality.