Beyond the cerebral cortex: cerebellar language-related subregions contributions to fluency in post-stroke aphasia

Although the classical language cortex significantly contributes to post-stroke aphasia (PSA), non-language-specific cortex, such as the cerebellum, is increasingly implicated in language. However, the specific contributions of its subregions to PSA, particularly regarding distinct language dimensions, remain unclear. Given fluency as a core dimension, we investigated the functional and structural integrity of cerebellar language-related subregions to clarify their distinct roles in fluent (FA) versus non-fluent aphasia (nonFA). We enrolled a primary cohort of 81 PSA patients (46 nonFA, 35 FA), and 77 healthy controls (HCs), alongside an independent external validation cohort (Aphasia Recovery Cohort ARC; 23 nonFA, 22 FA). Using individualized functional connectivity (FC) and volumetric analyses based on the Multi-Domain Task Battery (MDTB) atlas, we found that nonFA patients exhibited significantly decreased FC between the classical language network (LN) and language-related cerebellar subregions (right MDTB 8 and 9; RMDTB8/9-LN FC), alongside reduced right Crus II volume. Correlation analysis revealed that these neuroimaging indicators were positively associated with language scores in nonFA, while no such relationships were observed in FA. Furthermore, mediation analysis indicated that right Crus II volume statistically accounted for the observed association between RMDTB8/9-LN FC and overall Aphasia Quotient (AQ). As the key findings were replicated in the ARC, our results provide compelling evidence that the functional connectivity strength and structural integrity of specific cerebellar subregions contribute to language fluency. Our findings support expanding models of PSA beyond cortical regions and suggest that cerebellar-targeted strategies may improve language rehabilitation outcomes.