Abstract: Despite occupying only 10% of the total volume of the human brain, the cerebellum contains over half of its neurons.Traditionally viewed as primarily responsible for coordinating motor movements, increasing evidence in recent years suggests that the cerebellum is closely associated with higher cognitive functions such as cognition, attention, memory, and language, participating in the regulation of various non-motor functions.Concurrently, abnormal cerebellar development has been closely linked to several neurodevelopmental disorders, including Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), characterized by social impairments, repetitive behaviors, and language deficits, often accompanied by sensory abnormalities. Clinical studies have found structural and functional alterations in the cerebellum of individuals with autism. Interestingly, similar cerebellar phenotypes have been observed in animal models of autism spectrum disorders. Importantly, specific deletion of autism susceptibility genes in cerebellar neurons can induce typical autism-like behaviors in model animals, suggesting that abnormal cerebellar development is a key pathological mechanism underlying autism spectrum disorders. This article briefly reviews the relationship between the cerebellum and autism from clinical and basic research perspectives, providing potential insights for the diagnosis and treatment of autism.

Key words: Keywords：Autism spectrum disorder, cerebellum, structural and functional, model animals