Brain Anatomy: Cerebellum

SMS 1084

Dr. Mohanad R. Alwan

 Cerebellum
 The cerebellum is located behind the dorsal aspect of
the pons and the medulla.
 A midline portion, the vermis, separates two lateral
lobes, or cerebellar hemispheres.

 The cerebellum consists of the cerebellar cortex and

the underlying cerebellar white matter
 Four paired deep cerebellar nuclei are located within
the white matter of the cerebellum.

 Because of the location of the fourth ventricle, ventral

to the cerebellum, mass lesions or swelling of the
cerebellum can cause obstructive hydrocephalus.
Cerebellum
 Cerebellar Cortex

Deep Cerebellar Nuclei:

Dentate

Interposed
Fastigial
 Cerebellar functions
 The cerebellum has several main functions:
 Coordinating skilled voluntary movements by
influencing muscle activity,
 Controlling equilibrium and muscle tone through

connections with the vestibular system and the

spinal cord and its gamma motor neurons.
 There is a somatotopic organization of body parts

within the cerebellar cortex.

 In addition, the cerebellum receives collateral input
from the sensory and special sensory systems.
 The Cerebellum
 The cerebellum
 Is important for coordination and error checking
during motor, perceptual, and cognitive functions
 The cerebellum
 Is also involved in learning and remembering
motor skills
 Functions
 Co-ordination of movement
 The cortex initiates it and the
cerebellum co-ordinates it.
Damage to the cerebellum
 Causes a lack of co-ordination:
 Speaking
 Walking
 Tremour
Cerebellar Stroke
 Dizziness, vomiting
 Unsteady so that walking is impossible
 Power, tone and reflexes normal

 Area of blood in the cerebellum would

show on a CT scan
 Cerebellar Anatomy
 Located dorsal to pons
and medulla
 In posterior fossa
under tentorium
cerebelli
 Lobes
 Floccular Nodular(small
fluffy mass)
 Anterior
 Posterior
 Flattened Cerebellum

 Longitudinally
separated into
hemispheres and
cortices
 Median (Vermal)

Vermis=worm
 Paramedian
(Paravermal
 Lateral
 Cerebellar Anatomy

Transverse division
 Anterior Lobe
 ------------ primary fissure
 Posterior Lobe
 ------------ posterolateral fissure
 Flocculonodular Lobe
 Cerebellum

Median Paramedian Primary

Fissure
Posterior
Superior
Fissure

Prepyramidal Fissure
Horizontal
Fissure
Posterolateral Fissure
16
 Cerebellum
 Cerebellar Cortex
 Molecular Layer
 Purkinje Cell Layer
 Granular Layer
 Corpus Medullare (Medullary Center)
 Deep Cerebellar Nuclei
 Fastigial Nuclei
 Nucleus Interpositus
 Emboliform Nucleus
 Globose Nucleus
 Dentate Nucleus
 Cerebellar Cortex

 Cerebellar Cortex
 I. Molecular Layer
 Stellate Cell --- taurine (inhibitory)
 afferent: parallel fiber
 efferent: Purkinje cell dendrite
 Basket Cell ---- GABA (inhibitory)
 afferent: parallel fiber
 efferent: Purkinje cell soma
 Parallel Fiber
 granule cell axon
 Purkinje Cell Dendrite
 Cerebellar Cortex

 II. Purkinje Cell Layer

 Purkinje Cell
 -- 15,000,000 in number
 -- GABA (inhibitory)
 afferent: parallel fiber
 climbing fiber
 stellate cell
 basket cell
 efferent: deep cortical nuclei

 Bergman’s glial cell

 Cerebellar Cortex

 III. Granular Layer

 Granular Cell
 -- 50,000,000,000 in number
 -- glutamic acid (excitatory)
 afferent: mossy fiber
 efferent: Purkinje cell dendrite
 basket cell, stellate cell
 Golgi cell
 Golgi Cell
 -- GABA (inhibitory)
 afferent: parallel fiber, mossy fiber rosette
 efferent: granule cell dendrite
Cerebellar Cortex

1. Purkinje cell
2. granule cell
3. basket cell
4. Golgi cell
5. stellate cell
6. climbing fiber
7. mossy fiber
8. parallel fiber
9. inferior olivary
nucleus
10. deep cerebellar
nuclei
 Tentorium cerebelli

 "tent of the cerebellum"

 dura mater that separates
the cerebellum from the
inferior portion of the
occipital lobes.
Cerebellar Nuclei (Nuclei = deep cluster of neurons)

 Dentate nucleus
 Largest, communicates through
cerebellar peduncle
 Carries information important for
coordination of limb movements (along
with the motor cortex and basal
ganglia)
 Dentate Nucleus

Dentate
Pontine Nucleus
Projections
Superior
Cerebellar
Pons Peduncle
 Cerebellar Nuclei

 Emboliform nucleus (medial side of the nucleus

dentatus)
 Regulates movements of ipsilateral extremity
 Globose nucleus
 Regulates movements of ipsilateral extremity
 Fastigial nucleus
 Regulates body posture
 Is related to the flocculo nodular lobe
Cerebellum
Deep Nuclei
1. Fastigial
nucleus
2. Globose
nucleus
3. Emboliform
nucleus
4. Dentate
nucleus
 Cerebellar Cortex

Deep Cerebellar Nuclei:

Dentate

Interposed
Fastigial
Input-output Organization
Deep Cerebellar
Nuclei:
Cerebellar Fastigial
Interposed
cortex Dendate
+ Cortex

+ - Nuclei

+ Output

Vestibular
nuclei

Extrinsic inputs:
mossy fiber
climbing fiber
 Spinocerebellum:
Vermis
Intermediate hem.
Spinocerebellum Cerebrocerebellum:
(Vermis + Intermed. Hem) Lateral hem.
Control of limbs
and trunk

Cerebrocerebellum
(Lateral hemisphere)
Planning of movement+ IVth vent Vermis
Intermediate hem.
Vestibulo-cerebellum Lateral hem.
(Floculo-nodular lobe)
Control of eye &
head movements
Balance
Floculo-nodular lobe