Understanding cerebellar cognitive and social functions: methodological challenges and new directions for future transcranial magnetic stimulation studies

A large body of evidence is available regarding the role of the cerebellum in the nonmotor domain. Several techniques have been used to study cerebellar cognitive and social functions, with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) being one of the most promising. TMS studies investigating the role of the cerebellum in nonmotor processes have contributed to unveil a detailed map of the (causal) functional organization of this structure during cognitive processes, and thus provided valuable theoretical insights. In the present mini-review, we summarize the most recent evidence on the nonmotor functions of the cerebellum provided by TMS investigations. Furthermore, we discuss the main methodological issues TMS studies on the cerebellum face, to guarantee adequate methodological rigor and theoretical advancement. Finally, recent trends and future directions in the TMS investigation of the cognitive cerebellum will be discussed. Within this context, methodological advancements would have direct and important applications in clinical and rehabilitative domains.