{"id":8070,"date":"2025-07-17T14:15:16","date_gmt":"2025-07-17T18:15:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/?p=8070"},"modified":"2025-07-17T14:15:16","modified_gmt":"2025-07-17T18:15:16","slug":"from-baby-steps-to-big-thoughts-new-unc-study-maps-how-the-cerebellum-builds-the-foundation-for-thinking-moving-and-learning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/2025\/07\/from-baby-steps-to-big-thoughts-new-unc-study-maps-how-the-cerebellum-builds-the-foundation-for-thinking-moving-and-learning\/","title":{"rendered":"From Baby Steps to Big Thoughts: New UNC Study Maps How the Cerebellum Builds the Foundation for Thinking, Moving, and Learning"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_8071\" class=\"thumbnail wp-caption alignright\" style=\"width: 265px\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-8071 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1384\/2025\/07\/wenjiaolyu-255x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"255\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1384\/2025\/07\/wenjiaolyu-255x300.jpg 255w, https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1384\/2025\/07\/wenjiaolyu-768x905.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1384\/2025\/07\/wenjiaolyu-600x707.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1384\/2025\/07\/wenjiaolyu.jpg 867w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 255px) 100vw, 255px\" \/><figcaption class=\"caption wp-caption-text\">Lead author, Wenjiao Lyu<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Chapel Hill, NC<\/strong>\u00a0\u2014 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\u2014the cerebellum\u2014develops in babies and young children. Their recently published study in\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/rdcu.be\/evDgq\"><em>Nature Communications<\/em><\/a>\u00a0reveals that this \u201clittle brain\u201d, once thought to mainly control movement, plays a vital and early role in shaping how we think, learn, and connect with others.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\">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\u2019re born, the cerebellum is not just helping us kick our feet or move our hands\u2014it\u2019s also forming deep connections to areas involved in attention, memory, emotion, and language.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cThe cerebellum is like the brain\u2019s quiet conductor,\u201d said senior author Dr. Pew-Thian Yap. \u201cIt\u2019s behind the scenes, but helping orchestrate everything from our first steps to our first words.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>What They Did<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\">The team studied MRI brain scans from 275 healthy children participating in the\u00a0<strong>Baby Connectome Project<\/strong>, a major effort to understand how the human brain grows. They used advanced imaging techniques to track \u201cfunctional connectivity\u201d\u2014how different brain regions talk to each other\u2014focusing on how the cerebellum links to both basic motor regions and more complex thinking areas of the brain.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\">They grouped these connections into two types:<\/p>\n<ul style=\"font-weight: 400\">\n<li><strong>Primary networks<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 involved in movement, touch, hearing, and vision.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Higher-order networks<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 responsible for problem-solving, attention, memory, and language.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>What They Found<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\">The cerebellum is\u00a0<em>far more active and connected in early life than previously thought<\/em>. Among the key discoveries:<\/p>\n<ul style=\"font-weight: 400\">\n<li><strong>Cognitive connections from birth<\/strong>: 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.<\/li>\n<li><strong>A clear developmental timeline<\/strong>: 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.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Left vs. right brain patterns<\/strong>: The left cerebellum tends to handle primary functions, while the right side takes on more cognitive tasks\u2014echoing the broader left\/right organization of the brain.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Girls develop some networks earlier than boys<\/strong>: Girls showed earlier and stronger cerebellar connections to language and executive function networks\u2014possibly helping explain why girls often speak earlier and show faster verbal development in early childhood.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>Why It Matters<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\">Until now, most brain development studies have focused on the\u00a0<strong>cerebral cortex<\/strong>\u2014the wrinkled outer layer of the brain. This study shows that the\u00a0<strong>cerebellum<\/strong>, located at the back of the brain under the cortex, is just as essential for early learning and development.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cWe\u2019re seeing that the cerebellum provides a new lens through which to explore how brain networks emerge and interact in early life,\u201d said co-first author Dr. Wenjiao Lyu. \u201cRecognizing this earlier role opens up new possibilities for how we understand and nurture healthy brain growth.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cThis gives us a completely new map of how the brain develops in the first years of life,\u201d said co-author Dr. Sahar Ahmad. \u201cIt helps explain why disruptions to this system\u2014whether from injury, genetics, or illness\u2014can have long-lasting effects on thinking, behavior, and emotional health.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\">This knowledge is especially important for understanding\u00a0<strong>neurodevelopmental disorders<\/strong>\u00a0like 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\u2014and intervene earlier.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\"><strong>What\u2019s Next?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\">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\u2014and how targeted therapies might support healthy brain growth.<\/p>\n<p style=\"font-weight: 400\">\u201cWe\u2019re learning that the cerebellum is not just supporting development\u2014it\u2019s actively steering it,\u201d said Dr. Yap. \u201cUnderstanding this could transform how we care for children in both health and disease.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Chapel Hill, NC\u00a0\u2014 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\u2014the cerebellum\u2014develops in babies and young children. Their recently published study in\u00a0Nature Communications\u00a0reveals that this \u201clittle brain\u201d, once thought to mainly control movement, plays a vital and &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/2025\/07\/from-baby-steps-to-big-thoughts-new-unc-study-maps-how-the-cerebellum-builds-the-foundation-for-thinking-moving-and-learning\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about From Baby Steps to Big Thoughts: New UNC Study Maps How the Cerebellum Builds the Foundation for Thinking, Moving, and Learning\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83776,"featured_media":8072,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"layout":"","cellInformation":"","apiCallInformation":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[83,91,92],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8070","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-department-news","category-homepage-news","category-in-the-news","odd"],"acf":[],"featured_image":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1384\/2025\/07\/AdobeStock_1229816398-scaled.jpeg","featured_image_medium":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1384\/2025\/07\/AdobeStock_1229816398-300x150.jpeg","featured_image_medium_large":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1384\/2025\/07\/AdobeStock_1229816398-768x384.jpeg","featured_image_large":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1384\/2025\/07\/AdobeStock_1229816398-1024x512.jpeg","featured_image_thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1384\/2025\/07\/AdobeStock_1229816398-150x150.jpeg","featured_image_alt":"Autistic Pride Day, World Autism Awareness, portrait of a curly-haired little boy on the background of a multi-colored puzzle wall, side view, rainbow background of puzzle details","category_details":[{"name":"Department News","link":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/category\/department-news\/"},{"name":"Homepage News","link":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/category\/homepage-news\/"},{"name":"IN THE NEWS","link":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/category\/department-news\/in-the-news\/"}],"tag_details":[],"_links_to":[],"_links_to_target":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8070","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/83776"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8070"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8070\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8073,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8070\/revisions\/8073"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8072"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8070"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8070"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8070"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}