" Cerebellum plays major roles in the timing of motor activities and in rapid,

smooth progression from one muscle movement to the next.

" It also helps to control intensity of muscle contraction when the muscle
load changes, as well as controlling necessary instantaneous interplay
between agonist and antagonist muscle groups.
 Posterior lobe Anterior lobe

Pons

Medulla
Flocculonodular
lobe

Figure 56
Anatomical lobes of the cerebellun as seen from the lateral side

Hemisphere Vermis
Anterior
lobe

Posterior
lobe

-Flocculonodular
Lateral zone
Vermis lobe
of hemisphere
Intermediate zone
of hemisphere
Figure 56-2
Functional parts of the cerebellum as seen from the posteroinfe
rior view, with the inferiormost portion of the cerebellum rolled
outward to flatten the surface.
Vermis
" Control functions for muscle movements of the axial body, neck,
shoulders, and hips.

Intermediate Zone
Controlling muscle contractions in the distal portions of the upper and
lower limbs, especially the hands and fingers and feet and toes

Lateral Zone
This area joins with the cerebral cortex in the overall planning of
sequential motor movements.

Without this lateral zone, most discrete motor activities of the body
lose their appropriate timing and sequencing and therefore become
incoordinate
Although the cerebellum accounts for approximately 10% of the brain's
volume, it contains over 50% of the total number of neurons in the brain.

Motor commands are not initiated in the cerebellum; rather, the

cerebellum modifies the motor commands of the descending pathways to
make movements more adaptive and accurate.

Cerebellar damage leads to impairments in motor control and posture

The cerebellum is involved in the following functions:

1. Maintenance of balance and posture
2. Coordination of voluntary movements
3. Motor learning
4. Cognitive functions
Maintenance of Balance and Posture

0 Through its input from vestibular receptors and proprioceptors, it

modulates commands to motor neurons to compensate for shifts in body
position or changes in load upon muscles.

0Patients with cerebellar damage suffer from balance disorders, and they
often develop stereotyped postural strategies to compensate for this
problem (e.g., a wide-based stance)
Coordination of voluntory movements

0Most movements are composed of a number of different muscle groups

acting together in a temporally coordinated fashion.

0 Major function of the cerebellum is to coordinate the timing and force of

these different muscle groups to produce fluid limb or body movements
Motor learning

0The cerebellum is important for motor learning.

0 The cerebellum plays a major role in adapting and fine-tuning motor
programs to make accurate movements through a trial-and-error process
(e.g., learning to hit a baseball).
Cognitive functions

O It is also involved in certain cognitive functions, such as language.

0 Thus, like the basal ganglia, the cerebellum is historically considered as

part of the motor system, but its functions extend beyond motor control in
ways that are not yet well understood.