# Predicting Mental and Neurological Illnesses Based on Cerebellar Normative Features

## TL;DR

This study uses machine learning and cerebellar data to predict autism and schizophrenia with moderate accuracy.

## Contribution

The study introduces cerebellar normative modeling as a novel approach for predicting mental and neurological conditions.

## Key findings

- Cerebellar data can predict autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia with moderate accuracy.
- Both anterior and posterior cerebellar regions contribute to these predictions.
- Four cerebellar atlases improved the interpretability of the results.

## Abstract

Mental and neurological conditions have been linked to structural brain variations. However, aside from dementia, the value of brain structural characteristics derived from brain scans for prediction is relatively low. One reason for this limitation is the clinical and biological heterogeneity inherent to such conditions. Recent studies have implicated aberrations in the cerebellum, a relatively understudied brain region, in these clinical conditions.

Here, we used machine learning to test the value of individual deviations from normative cerebellar development across the lifespan (based on trained data from >27,000 participants) for prediction of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (n = 317), bipolar disorder (n = 238), schizophrenia (SZ) (n = 195), mild cognitive impairment (n = 122), and Alzheimer's disease (n = 116); individuals without diagnoses were matched to the clinical cohorts. We applied several atlases and derived median, variance, and percentages of extreme deviations within each region of interest.

The results show that lobular and voxelwise cerebellar data can be used to discriminate reference samples from individuals with ASD and SZ with moderate accuracy (the area under the receiver operating characteristic curves ranged from 0.56 to 0.65). Contributions to these predictive models originated from both anterior and posterior regions of the cerebellum.

Our study highlights the utility of cerebellar normative modeling in predicting ASD and SZ, aided by 4 cerebellar atlases that enhanced the interpretability of the findings.

Recent research has shown that the cerebellum plays a role in various clinical conditions. In this study, we explored the ability to predict 5 mental and neurological conditions using features derived from the cerebellum. By utilizing machine learning and combining 4 existing cerebellar maps, the analysis revealed moderate prediction of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and schizophrenia (SZ), with both anterior and posterior regions of cerebellar regions providing insights into these conditions.

Recent research has shown that the cerebellum plays a role in various clinical conditions. In this study, we explored the ability to predict 5 mental and neurological conditions using features derived from the cerebellum. By utilizing machine learning and combining 4 existing cerebellar maps, the analysis revealed moderate prediction of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and schizophrenia (SZ), with both anterior and posterior regions of cerebellar regions providing insights into these conditions.