In addition to the role of the cerebellum in motor functions, there is increasing interest in the involvement of the cerebellum in cognition. Specifically, activation of the cerebellum has been associated with tasks requiring explicit, episodic memory, e.g., recall of autobiographical events69, 70. With regard to drug abuse, imaging studies have determined that the cerebellum is activated in response to smoking-related cues71, and is associated with cue-induced craving in cocaine abusers72, 73 and recently abstinent alcoholics74. Activity in the cerebellum has also been linked to executive dysfunction in cocaine users75. Taken together, these studies and the present findings highlight the cerebellum as a brain region that is critically linked to craving by both motor and cognitive functions.
