This research will investigate the role of the cerebellum in some aspects of cognition, language, and speech by studying the performance of subjects with cerebellar lesions on tasks from the three domains. Language processing will be examined using a set of three sentence-picture matching tasks to assess the effects of syntactic structure as expressed by word order and the use of function words, sentential voice, semantic constraint, thematic role assignment, and verbal lexical semantics as realized by argument selection. Speech will be assessed by examining voice onset time (VOT) production. To provide a measure of general cognitive abilities such as attention and memory that play a role in sentence comprehension, as well as to confirm and extend reports of cerebellar involvement in pre-frontal functions, three cognitive tasks will be administered. Structured response initiation and expressive language will be assessed with a Verbal Fluency task; attention, concentration, and memory will be assessed with the Digit Span task; and the ability to generate and shift abstract categories will be assessed with the Odd Man Out task.
