Pain is considered a multidimensional experience that embodies not merely sensation, but also emotion and perception. As is appropriate for this complexity, pain is represented and processed by an extensive matrix of cortical and subcortical structures. Of these structures, the cerebellum is gaining increasing attention. Although association between the cerebellum and both acute and chronic pain have been extensively detailed in electrophysiological and neuroimaging studies, a deep understanding of what functions are mediated by these associations is lacking. Nevertheless, the available evidence implies that lobules IV–VI and Crus I are especially pertinent to pain processing, and anatomical studies reveal that these regions connect with higher-order structures of sensorimotor, emotional, and cognitive function. Therefore, we speculate that the cerebellum exerts a modulatory role in pain via its communication with sites of sensorimotor, executive, reward, and limbic function. On this basis, in this review, we propose numerous ways in which the cerebellum might contribute to both acute and chronic pain, drawing particular attention to emotional and cognitive elements of pain. In addition, we emphasise the importance of advancing our knowledge about the relationship between the cerebellum and pain by discussing novel therapeutic opportunities that capitalize on this association.

疼痛被认为是一种多维体验，不仅体现了感觉，还体现了情感和感知。为了适应这种复杂性，疼痛由广泛的皮质和皮质下结构矩阵来表示和处理。在这些结构中，小脑越来越受到关注。尽管小脑与急性和慢性疼痛之间的关联已在电生理学和神经影像学研究中得到了广泛的详细描述，但对这些关联介导的功能仍缺乏深入的了解。然而，现有证据表明，小叶 IV-VI 和小腿 I 与疼痛处理特别相关，解剖学研究表明这些区域与感觉运动、情绪和认知功能的高级结构相关。因此，我们推测小脑通过与感觉运动、执行、奖赏和边缘功能部位的通讯在疼痛中发挥调节作用。在此基础上，在这篇综述中，我们提出了小脑可能导致急性和慢性疼痛的多种方式，特别关注疼痛的情感和认知因素。此外，我们强调通过讨论利用小脑与疼痛之间关系的新治疗机会来增进我们对小脑与疼痛之间关系的了解的重要性。