Cerebellum
Eva Rudolf-Müller is a freelance writer in the medical team. She studied human medicine and newspaper sciences and has repeatedly worked in both areas - as a doctor in the clinic, as a reviewer, and as a medical journalist for various specialist journals. She is currently working in online journalism, where a wide range of medicine is offered to everyone.
More about the experts All content is checked by medical journalists.The cerebellum is the area of the brain that controls fluid movement. This includes a sense of balance and the control of all motor skills by maintaining normal muscle tone. Read everything you need to know about the cerebellum: function, anatomy and important damage and their consequences!
What is the cerebellum
The cerebellum is divided into two hemispheres, which are connected by the cerebellar worm. Like that of the cerebrum, the surface is criss-crossed by numerous furrows and thus enlarged. The two cerebellar hemispheres are divided into three lobes by furrows:
- Anterior cerebellar lobe
- Posterior cerebellar lobe
- Flocculonodular lobe
Internal structure of the cerebellum
The cerebellum is divided into an outer area, the cortex, and an inner area, called the medulla. The cerebellar cortex consists of gray matter, i.e. nerve cell bodies. The marrow contains white matter, i.e. nerve fibers, as well as four gray-colored collections of nerve cells per hemisphere, the cerebellar nuclei: nucleus fastigii, nucleus dentatus, nucleus emboliformis and nucleus globosus.
What is the function of the cerebellum?
The highest level of control for coordinating all movements is located in the cerebellum. As an organ of equilibrium regulation, it does not have a superordinate function, but is a secondary center that processes all the stimuli that are supplied to it and then regulates it in the sense of normal motor skills. It is in a control loop with the cerebrum that controls the entire motor function of the organism and adapts it by fine-tuning the muscle tone.
Where is the cerebellum located?
The cerebellum sits above the brain stem (medulla oblongata, bridge and midbrain) in the posterior fossa and is connected to it via the three cerebellar stalks. The cerebellum is covered by the two cerebral hemispheres. The fourth ventricle, filled with liquor, lies at the front. The upper part of the cerebellum is bounded by a duplication of the dura mater, the cerebellar tent (tentorium cerebelli), which separates it from the cerebrum. The seventh and eighth cranial nerves run between the cerebellum and the bridge (pons) in front of it: the facial nerve (facial nerve) and the vestibulocochlear nerve (auditory and equilibrium nerves).
What problems can the cerebellum cause?
Diseases or injuries of the cerebellum lead to disorders of the coordination of movements (ataxia = unsteadiness of gait, balance disorders.
An abscess in the cerebellum is usually caused by ear diseases, but can also be caused by metastases from distant tumors or injuries. Possible signs are headache, movement disorders, vomiting, swallowing and breathing disorders. Eye tremors (nystagmus) on the affected side and paralysis of the seventh cranial nerve (facial nerve) are also possible.
Certain areas of the cerebellum may be missing, for example the cerebellar worm, for genetic reasons or due to disorders in early embryonic development. However, the entire cerebellum can also be missing (cerebellar agenesis). The main symptom is a cerebellar ataxia (disorders of the movement processes).
A cerebellar bridge angle tumor originates from the sheath of the eighth cranial nerve, the equilibrium nerve (vestibulocochlear nerve).
A failure of the cerebellar nuclei leads to different forms of ataxia such as gait ataxia (with failure of the nucleus fastigii) or a chanting language (with failure of the nucleus dentatus).
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