Cerebellum

Anatomy, Physiology &

Functions
Presenter : Dr. Anurag Trivedi

Moderator : Prof. Vinod Puri

 Cerebellum
 Cerebellum – 'Little Brain' in Latin

 10% of total volume of brain

 More than half of its neurons

 monitor or modulator of motor activity

 Embryology of cerebellum

 Cortical
formation and
expansion of the
walls of the
metencephalon

 A pair of dorsal
swellings that
join along the
midline
 Anatomy
 Located in posterior
fossa of skull

 Dorsal to the pons

and medulla
 Anatomy
 2 hemispheres
 United through
median vermis
 2 surfaces
• superior
• inferior
 3 lobes
• anterior
• posterior
• flocculonodular
Superior view of cerebellum
Inferior view of cerebellum
Subdivisions of cerebellum
Phylogenetic division of cerebellum
 Archicerebellum
 Oldest part
 Flocculonodular lobe,
lingula
 Paleocerebellum
 Next to appear
 Anterior lobe , pyramid and
uvula
 Neocerebellum
 Newest part to develop
 Posterior lobe minus
pyramid and uvula
 Cerebellar peduncles
 Three paired fiber tracts connect the cerebellum to the brainstem:

 Superior peduncles to the midbrain

 Middle peduncles to the pons


 Inferior peduncles to the medulla
Arterial supply
Arterial supply
Arterial supply
CT image
MR image
 Structure of cerebellum
 Outer mantle of gray matter – cerebellar
cortex

 Internal white matter

 Four pairs of deep nuclei

 Cerebellar cortex
 Has many folds in
coronal or transverse
plane
 Each fold (folium)
contains core of
white matter covered
by gray matter
 On section in median
plane – branched
appearance – 'arbor
vitae'
 Cerebellar cortex
 Divided into 3 layers

 External – molecular
layer

 Middle – purkinje cell

layer

 Internal – granular layer

Cerebellar cortex
 Molecular layer
 Two types of
neurons

 Stellate cells

 Basket cells
 Purkinje cell layer
 Purkinje cells - flask shaped
neurons

 Dendrites of these pass into

molecular layer

 Synaptic contacts with

parallel fibres

 Axon passes through

granular layer into white
matter

 Terminates with synapsing

with cells of deep nuclei
 Granular layer
 Packed with small cells with
densely staining nuclei

 Each has 4-5 dendrites –

synaptic contacts with mossy
fiber input

 Axon passes to molecular layer

 Bifurcates to form parallel

fibers

 Parallel fibers make contact

with purkinje cells

 Golgi cells also scattered in

this layer
 Cerebellar nuclei

 Four pairs of deep

nuclei

• Dentate
• Emboliform
• Globose
• Fastigial
 White matter
 Made up of three group of fibers
 Intrinsic fibers
 do not leave cerebellum
 Afferent fibers
 enter mainly through inferior and middle cerebellar
peduncles
 proceed to cerebellar cortex
 Efferent fibers
 commences as axons of purkinje cells
 majority synapse with neurons of deep nuclei
 axons of neurons then leave cerebellum
 fibers from fastigial nucleus leave through inferior peduncle
 fibers from other deep nuclei leave through superior
peduncle
Cerebellar cortical mechanisms
 Input to cortex is through
Climbing fibers
 mossy fibers
Cerebellar cortical mechanisms
 Input to cortex is through
•Climbing fibers are terminal fibers
Climbing fibers of olivocerebellar tracts
 Mossy fibers
•Each fiber makes a large number of
synaptic contacts with dendrites of a
purkinje cell

•Purkinje cell synapses only with

one climbing fiber

•One climbing fiber makes contact

with 1-10 purkinje fibers

•Climbing fiber also synapses with

stellate cells and basket cells

•Are excitatory to purkinje cells

Cerebellar cortical mechanisms
 Input to cortex is through
Climbing fibers
 Mossy fibers Mossy fibers are terminal fibers
of all other cerebellar afferent
tracts

Exert more diffuse excitatory

effect

Single mossy fiber stimulate

thousands of purkinje cells
through granule cells
Geometry of mossy and climbing
fibers
Synaptic organization of cerebellar
circuit
 Cerebellar Afferents
 From cortex

 Corticopontocerebellar
pathway
 Cerebro-olivocerebellar
pathway
 Cerebroreticulocerebellar
pathway

 Information regarding the

initiation of movement in the
cerebral cortex is given to
cerebellum so that it can be
monitored and appropriate
adjustments can be made
 Cerebellar Afferents
 From spinal cord

 Anterior spinocerebellar tract

 Posterior spinocerebellar
tract
 Cuneocerebellar tract

 Conveys information from

muscle spindles, joint
receptors of upper and
lower limbs
 Cerebellar Afferents
 From vestibular nerve

 Conveys information of
head position and
movement

 Other afferent fibers

 Rubrocerebellar
 Tectocerebellar
Cerebellar Afferents
 Cerebellar Efferents
 Globose-Emboliform-
Rubral Pathway

 Dentato-Thalamic
Pathway

 Fastigial-Vestibular
Pathway

 Fastigial-Reticular
Pathway
Functional divisions of cerebellum
 Vestibulocerebellum
 Flocculonodular lobe
 Spinocerebellum
 Vermis and
intermediate parts of
the hemispheres
 Cerebrocerebellum
 Lateral parts of the
hemispheres
 Vestibulocerebellum
•Vestibulocerebellum
regulates balance and
eye movements

•It receives vestibular input from

both the semicircular canals and
from the vestibular nuclei

•Also receives visual input from

superior colliculi and striate cortex

•Purkinje neurons inhibit neurons in

vestibular nuclei
 Vestibulocerebellum
 Through lateral nucleus
modulate lateral and medial
vestibular tracts

 These tracts predominantly

control axial muscles and limb
extensors

 Hence maintain balance during

stance and gait
 Spinocerebellum
 Spinocerebellum
regulates body and
limb movements

 Somatosensory information
reaches spinocerebellum
through direct and indirect
pathways
 Spinocerebellum
 Spinocerebellum
contains sensory maps

 Vermis receives fibres

from the trunk and
proximal portions of
limbs

 Intermediate parts of
the hemispheres
receive fibres from the
distal portions of limbs
 Spinocerebellum
 It sends fibres to deep
cerebellar nuclei which
in turn project to both
the cerebral cortex and
the brain stem

 Thus providing
modulation of
descending motor
systems
 Cerebrocerebellum
 Cerebrocerebellum is
involved in planning
movement and evaluating
sensory information for
action
• It receives input exclusively from the
cerebral cortex via the pontine nuclei
(forming cortico-ponto-cerebellar
pathways)
• Sends fibres mainly to the ventrolateral
thalamus and to the red nucleus
• The cerebrocerebellum is involved in
planning movement that is about to occur
and has cognitive functions
 Cerebrocerebellum
 Coordination and timing of
activity of different muscles
involved in complex
movements

 Regulation of reciprocal
activities between opposing
groups of muscles

 Detection and correction of

errors in movement by
comparing the motor
command with the feedback
 Cerebrocerebellum
 Cerebrocerebellum also has purely cognitive
functions
 Functional MR imaging data have provided
evidence for the role of lateral cerebellum in
cognitive activities
 For e.g. , Peter Strick and co workers showed
solving a pegboard puzzle involves a greater
activity in dentate nucleus than does the simple
motor task of moving the pegs on board
Cerebrocerebellum
 Cerebellum & motor learning
 Cerebellum participates in motor learning

 Marr and Albus proposed that climbing

fiber input to Purkinje neurons modifies the
response of the neurons to mossy fiber
inputs and does so for a prolonged period
of time

 Experimental evidence support this idea

 Cerebellum & motor learning
 According to theories of Marr and Albus ,
Altering the strength of certain parallel
fiber-purkinje cell synapses would select
specific purkinje cells to program or
correct eye or limb movements

 Motor learning is often impaired following

cerebellar damage
Signs of Cerebellar Dysfunction
 Gait difficulty
 Titubation
 Nystagmus
 Hypotonia
 Pendular reflexes
 Dysarthria
 Dysmetria
 Dysdiadiochokinesis
 Intention tremor
 Cerebellar syndromes
 Rostral vermis syndrome

 Wide base stance

 Ataxia of gait , with almost normal heel to shin test

 Normal or slightly impaired arm coordination

 Titubation

 Infrequent presence of hypotonia, nystagmus and dysarthria

 Cerebellar syndromes
 Caudal vermis syndrome

 Axial dysequilibrium

 Little or no limb ataxia

 Nystagmus

 Rotated postures of head

 Cerebellar syndromes
 Cerebellar hemispheric syndrome

 Incoordination of Ipsilateral appendicular

movements

 Hypotonia

 Intention tremor

 Dysarthria
 Cerebellar syndromes
 Pancerebellar syndrome

 Combination of all other syndromes