Exploring Cerebellar Contributions to Social Cognition and Mentalizing: Insights from a Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Study

Understanding the complexities of human social cognition is essential for us to grasp the behind-the-scenes of our species. To understand mental processes, to interpret other’s intentions and beliefs, to be able to read what is behind facial expressions, or to see the not -that much- visible requires a unique ability called mentalizing. Emerging evidence suggests that the cerebellum, traditionally linked to motor functions, plays a crucial role in higher cognitive processes, including mentalizing. Our study investigated the cerebellum's role in mentalizing using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to modulate cerebellar activity while the participants engaged in the affective, cognitive, and physical Yoni task (a well-known mentalizing/theory of mind task). We stimulated the left lateral cerebellum, right lateral cerebellum, and the vertex as a control site. Our study showed that participants required significantly longer response times on cognitive tasks compared to affective and physical tasks. We also observed a potential but subtle influence of cerebellar stimulation on task performance that warrants further investigation. While our study provides valuable insights into the cerebellar roles in mentalizing, further research is necessary to expand our understanding.