Fig. 1. Mean syllable duration (ms) and standard deviation in the preoperative and postoperative session in the oral diadochokinesis task (left) and the sentence production task (right) for the cerebellar patients (white) and orthopedic controls (black). Mean syllable duration was shorter in the oral diadochokinesis task than in the sentence production task (T-effect, p=.003). Syllable duration in the oral diadochokinesis task was longer in patients compared to controls primarily in the postoperative session (interaction T × G  × S, p=.033).

Fig. 2. Mean syllable duration (ms) and standard deviation in the preoperative and postoperative session in the oral diadochokinesis task for the cerebellar patients (left) and orthopedic controls (right). Syllable duration was longer in /Gaga/ (hatched) than in /Baba/ and /Dada/ (white and light grey; main effect of A, p<.0001). Syllable duration was longer in the postoperative than in the preoperative session in the three-syllables (main effect of S, p<.029). The mean of the syllables /Baba/ and /Dada/ (medium grey) produced longer syllable durations than /Bada/ (dark grey; main effect of C, p<.0001). The combined syllable /Dana/ (black) produced shorter syllable durations than the mean of the syllables /Dada/ and /Nana/ (striped) in both sessions in the cerebellar group. In the control group, the reverse was found in the preoperative session. In the postoperative session, there was no difference between the combined syllable and the mean of the single syllables (interaction between S, S, and G, p=.019). Syllable duration was longer in the postoperative session than in the preoperative session in the cerebellar, but not the control group (interaction between G and S, p=.033).

Fig. 3. Mean syllable duration (ms) and standard deviation in the preoperative and postoperative session in the sentence production task for the cerebellar patients (white) and orthopedic controls (black). In both groups, mean syllable duration was longest in target words with two-complex syllables and shortest in three-syllabic words (N S-effect, p<.0001).

Fig. 4. Lesions of all cerebellar children in the postoperative session superimposed on horizontal, sagittal, and coronal section of stereotaxically normalized MR images of the adult healthy brain. The number of overlapping lesions is indicated by color, from violet (n=1) to red (n=10). Note center of overlap (green, n=5) in posterior–inferior regions of the vermis. The x-, y, and z- coordinates of the sections shown are indicated, i.e., sagittal view shown at x=−2 mm, coronal view shown at y=−50 mm, and horizontal view shown at z=−38 mm. (For interpretation of the references to colour in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the web version of this paper.)

Fig. 5. Mean syllable duration (ms) in the oral diadochokinesis task in the individual cerebellar patients (cb) and healthy controls (co) in the postoperative session. The solid line indicates the mean, and the dashed lines indicate means ± 2 standard deviations in the control group. In five cerebellar children (cb2, cb3, cb4, cb5, and cb7) syllable durations were abnormal, i.e., exceeding means ± 2 standard deviations in controls. Order of cerebellar patients as in Table 1 and Table 2.

Fig. 6. (A) Lesions of the cerebellar patients with prolonged syllable durations and (B) the cerebellar patients with normal syllable durations in the postoperative session superimposed on an horizontal, sagittal, and coronal section of the stereotaxically normalized MR images of the adult healthy brain. The number of overlapping lesions is indicated by color, from violet (n=1) to red, n=5. Note center of overlap (green, n=3) in the posterior–inferior vermis in both groups. For explanation of the x-, y-, and z-coordinates, see Fig. 5. (For interpretation of the references to colour in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the web version of this paper.)

Fig. 7. Superimposed lesions of all cerebellar children in relation to the region critically involved in syllable repetition according to Wildgruber et al. (2001). The critical region is indicated with an “+”, on the left side in (A) and on the right side in (B) on a coronal section. The lesion of one child each (violet color) came near the critical region on the left (cb7) and on the right (cb4). (For interpretation of the references to colour in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the web version of this paper.)

Fig. 8. Syllable duration (ms) in the oral diadochokinesis task in the pre-, one week and four weeks postoperative session. Shown are the five cerebellar children (cb2, cb3, cb4, cb5, and cb7) with prolonged syllable duration in the one week postoperative session. All children improved in the four weeks compared to the one week session.

Table 1. Patient data and pre- and postoperative clinical signs

Cb, cerebellar; F, female; M, male; M, month(s); WFN-ataxia-score (Trouillas et al., 1997), total score: maximum, 100, Subscores: PG, posture and gait (maximum=34); KF, kinetic function (maximum lower LIMB=16, upper LIMB=36); SP, speech (maximum=8); and OC, oculomotor (maximum=6), where no value is given PG could not be tested because patient was bedridden; II: optic nerve, IV: trochlear nerve, V: trigeminal nerve, VI: abducens nerve, VII: facial nerve, and VIII: cochlear nerve; r, right; l, left; refl. Hyperm., reflex hypermetria.

Table 2. Affected cerebellar lobuli, white matter, and deep cerebellar nuclei in each cerebellar child

Lesion extent is given separately for up to five regions: vermis (Vermal), paravermis right (Parav. R), and left (Parav. L), right hemisphere (Hem. R) and left hemisphere (Hem. L). Values of the x-coordinates (mm) given in the first column specify locations of sagittal planes where lesion extent has been examined. In each of the sagittal planes of Vermal, Parav. R, Parav. L, Hem. R, and Hem. L, lesion extent has been examined at five positions: The most ventral and cranial, ventral and caudal, dorsal and cranial, dorsal and caudal, and the maximal dorsal extension of the lesion. The corresponding values of the y- and z-coordinates (mm) are given in the second column. Max. L and Max. R represent the x-, y-, and z-coordinates of the maximal lateral extension of the lesion. Coordinates and extent of surgical lesions are given in roman letters and of edema in italics. Subdivisions of white matter according to Luft et al. (1998), with V1–3, vermis 1–3; PV1–3, paravermis 1–3; and LH 1–3, lateral hemsiphere 1–3. See Material and methods for more detailed explanations. ND, dentate nucleus; NI, interposed nucleus; r, right; and l, left.