Structure at the rear of the vertebrate brain, beneath the cerebrum
This article is about the smaller region in the lower part of the brain. For the large region of the brain, see Cerebrum.
Cerebellum
Position of the human cerebellum (sagittal view)
Animation of the cerebellum
Details
Pronunciation
/ˌsɛrəˈbɛləm/
Part of
Hindbrain
Artery
SCA, AICA, PICA
Vein
Superior, inferior
Identifiers
Latin
cerebellum
MeSH
D002531
NeuroNames
643
NeuroLex ID
birnlex_1489
TA98
A14.1.07.001
TA2
5788
FMA
67944
Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy
[edit on Wikidata]
The cerebellum (pl.: cerebella or cerebellums; Latin for "little brain") is a major feature of the hindbrain of all vertebrates. Although usually smaller than the cerebrum, in some animals such as the mormyrid fishes it may be as large as it or even larger.[1] In humans, the cerebellum plays an important role in motor control. It may also be involved in some cognitive functions such as attention and language as well as emotional control such as regulating fear and pleasure responses,[2][3] but its movement-related functions are the most solidly established. The human cerebellum does not initiate movement, but contributes to coordination, precision, and accurate timing: it receives input from sensory systems of the spinal cord and from other parts of the brain, and integrates these inputs to fine-tune motor activity.[4] Cerebellar damage produces disorders in fine movement, equilibrium, posture, and motor learning in humans.[4]
Anatomically, the human cerebellum has the appearance of a separate structure attached to the bottom of the brain, tucked underneath the cerebral hemispheres. Its cortical surface is covered with finely spaced parallel grooves, in striking contrast to the broad irregular convolutions of the cerebral cortex. These parallel grooves conceal the fact that the cerebellar cortex is actually a continuous thin layer of tissue tightly folded in the style of an accordion. Within this thin layer are several types of neurons with a highly regular arrangement, the most important being Purkinje cells and granule cells. This complex neural organization gives rise to a massive signal-processing capability, but almost all of the output from the cerebellar cortex passes through a set of small deep nuclei lying in the white matter interior of the cerebellum.[5]
In addition to its direct role in motor control, the cerebellum is necessary for several types of motor learning, most notably learning to adjust to changes in sensorimotor relationships. Several theoretical models have been developed to explain sensorimotor calibration in terms of synaptic plasticity within the cerebellum. These models derive from those formulated by David Marr and James Albus, based on the observation that each cerebellar Purkinje cell receives two dramatically different types of input: one comprises thousands of weak inputs from the parallel fibers of the granule cells; the other is an extremely strong input from a single climbing fiber.[6] The basic concept of the Marr–Albus theory is that the climbing fiber serves as a "teaching signal", which induces a long-lasting change in the strength of parallel fiber inputs. Observations of long-term depression in parallel fiber inputs have provided some support for theories of this type, but their validity remains controversial.[7]
^Hodos W (2009). "Evolution of Cerebellum". Encyclopedia of Neuroscience. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer. pp. 1240–1243. doi:10.1007/978-3-540-29678-2_3124. ISBN 978-3-540-23735-8.
^Wolf U, Rapoport MJ, Schweizer TA (2009). "Evaluating the affective component of the cerebellar cognitive affective syndrome". Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences. 21 (3): 245–53. doi:10.1176/jnp.2009.21.3.245. PMID 19776302.
^Schmahmann JD, Caplan D (February 2006). "Cognition, emotion and the cerebellum". Brain. 129 (Pt 2): 290–2. doi:10.1093/brain/awh729. PMID 16434422.
^ abFine EJ, Ionita CC, Lohr L (December 2002). "The history of the development of the cerebellar examination". Seminars in Neurology. 22 (4): 375–84. doi:10.1055/s-2002-36759. PMID 12539058. S2CID 260317107.
^Purves D, Augustine GJ, Fitzpatrick D, Hall WC, LaMantia AS, White LE (2011). Neuroscience (5th ed.). Sunderland, Mass.: Sinauer. pp. 417–423. ISBN 978-0-87893-695-3.
^Cite error: The named reference Albus was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Purves D, Augustine GJ, Fitzpatrick D, Hall WC, LaMantia AS, White LE (2007). Neuroscience (4th ed.). New York: W. H. Freeman. pp. 197–200. ISBN 978-0-87893-697-7.
The cerebellum (pl.: cerebella or cerebellums; Latin for "little brain") is a major feature of the hindbrain of all vertebrates. Although usually smaller...
The Cerebellum is a bi-monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal founded in 2002. It is published by Springer Science+Business Media on behalf of the Society...
The anatomy of the cerebellum can be viewed at three levels. At the level of gross anatomy, the cerebellum consists of a tightly folded and crumpled layer...
vermis, "worm") is located in the medial, cortico-nuclear zone of the cerebellum, which is in the posterior fossa of the cranium. The primary fissure in...
pons include pontine nuclei which work with the cerebellum and transmit information between the cerebellum and the cerebral cortex. In the dorsal posterior...
On the superior aspect of cerebellum, the vermis protrudes above the level of the hemispheres, but on the inferior surface it is sunk almost out of sight...
cerebellar ataxia is used to indicate ataxia due to dysfunction of the cerebellum. The cerebellum is responsible for integrating a significant amount of neural...
the cerebellum") is an extension of the dura mater between the inferior aspect of the occipital lobes and the superior aspect of the cerebellum. The...
white substance is continuous with that of the velum. Cerebellum. Inferior surface. Cerebellum. Inferior surface. This article incorporates text in the...
functions of the cerebellum. According to Vandervert, in the emotion-driven prodigy (commonly observed as a "rage to master") the cerebellum accelerates the...
the cerebellum between the two cerebellar hemispheres. The name comes from two Latin words: falx, meaning "curved blade or scythe", and cerebellum, meaning...
furrows, and hence called the furrowed band. Cerebellum. Inferior surface. Cerebellum. Inferior surface. Cerebellum. Inferior surface. This article incorporates...
Cerebellar ataxia is a form of ataxia originating in the cerebellum. Non-progressive congenital ataxia (NPCA) is a classical presentation of cerebral ataxias...
otherwise known as neurons, become damaged and progressively weaken in the cerebellum. There are two types of cerebellar degeneration; paraneoplastic cerebellar...
to the midbrain, superior to the medulla oblongata and anterior to the cerebellum. The pons is also called the pons Varolii ("bridge of Varolius"), after...
the spinal cord and terminating in the same side (ipsilateral) of the cerebellum. Proprioceptive information is obtained by Golgi tendon organs and muscle...
agenesis is a rare condition in which a brain develops without the cerebellum. The cerebellum controls smooth movement, and when it does not develop, the rest...
The white cerebellum sign, also known as reversal sign or dense cerebellum sign, is a radiological sign denoting the relatively white appearance of the...
dendritic spines. Purkinje cells are found within the Purkinje layer in the cerebellum. Purkinje cells are aligned like dominos stacked one in front of the other...
nervous system. The brain consists of the cerebrum, the brainstem and the cerebellum. It controls most of the activities of the body, processing, integrating...
central nervous system in vertebrates. It includes the medulla, pons, and cerebellum. Together they support vital bodily processes. Rhombomeres Rh3-Rh1 form...
the cerebellum, which can also be confused for the cerebellar tonsils, is one of three lobes that make up the overall composition of the cerebellum. The...
The monticulus of the cerebellum is divided by the primary fissure (or preclival fissure) into an anterior, raised part, the culmen or summit, and a posterior...
approximately 14–16 billion neurons, and the estimated number of neurons in the cerebellum is 55–70 billion. Each neuron is connected by synapses to several thousand...
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