Chapel Hill, NC — In a major scientific breakthrough, researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have mapped how a small but mighty part of the brain—the cerebellum—develops in babies and young children. Their recently published study in Nature Communications reveals that this “little brain”, once thought to mainly control movement, plays a vital and early role in shaping how we think, learn, and connect with others.
Using over 1,000 high-quality brain scans from children between birth and age five, the research team tracked how the cerebellum communicates with other parts of the brain. Their findings show that from the moment we’re born, the cerebellum is not just helping us kick our feet or move our hands—it’s also forming deep connections to areas involved in attention, memory, emotion, and language.
“The cerebellum is like the brain’s quiet conductor,” said senior author Dr. Pew-Thian Yap. “It’s behind the scenes, but helping orchestrate everything from our first steps to our first words.”
What They Did
The team studied MRI brain scans from 275 healthy children participating in the Baby Connectome Project, a major effort to understand how the human brain grows. They used advanced imaging techniques to track “functional connectivity”—how different brain regions talk to each other—focusing on how the cerebellum links to both basic motor regions and more complex thinking areas of the brain.
They grouped these connections into two types:
- Primary networks – involved in movement, touch, hearing, and vision.
- Higher-order networks – responsible for problem-solving, attention, memory, and language.
What They Found
The cerebellum is far more active and connected in early life than previously thought. Among the key discoveries:
- Cognitive connections from birth: Even in newborns, the cerebellum is already linked to brain networks involved in memory, executive function, and language. These connections grow steadily stronger over the first five years.
- A clear developmental timeline: At first, the cerebellum is mostly wired to control movement and sensation. By age 3, it begins to mirror the adult pattern, increasingly connected to thinking and emotional areas. By age 5, it shows a highly adult-like organization.
- Left vs. right brain patterns: The left cerebellum tends to handle primary functions, while the right side takes on more cognitive tasks—echoing the broader left/right organization of the brain.
- Girls develop some networks earlier than boys: Girls showed earlier and stronger cerebellar connections to language and executive function networks—possibly helping explain why girls often speak earlier and show faster verbal development in early childhood.
Why It Matters
Until now, most brain development studies have focused on the cerebral cortex—the wrinkled outer layer of the brain. This study shows that the cerebellum, located at the back of the brain under the cortex, is just as essential for early learning and development.
“We’re seeing that the cerebellum provides a new lens through which to explore how brain networks emerge and interact in early life,” said co-first author Dr. Wenjiao Lyu. “Recognizing this earlier role opens up new possibilities for how we understand and nurture healthy brain growth.”
“This gives us a completely new map of how the brain develops in the first years of life,” said co-author Dr. Sahar Ahmad. “It helps explain why disruptions to this system—whether from injury, genetics, or illness—can have long-lasting effects on thinking, behavior, and emotional health.”
This knowledge is especially important for understanding neurodevelopmental disorders like autism and ADHD, which are often linked to abnormal cerebellar development. By identifying how cerebellar connections typically grow, scientists and clinicians can better spot when something is going off track—and intervene earlier.
What’s Next?
The research supports a growing shift toward viewing the cerebellum as a hub for movement and thought. It also paves the way for future studies to explore how nutrition, environment, genetics, and early experiences shape cerebellar development—and how targeted therapies might support healthy brain growth.
“We’re learning that the cerebellum is not just supporting development—it’s actively steering it,” said Dr. Yap. “Understanding this could transform how we care for children in both health and disease.”