Cerebellum (“little brain”)

1. General and regional organization

2. Internal structure of the cerebellum:

grey matter – cerebellar cortex & deep cerebellar nuclei

white matter – “arbor vitae”
3. Afferent and efferent cerebellar connections
4. Cerebellar functions and dysfunctions
 Cerebellum
Cerebellum – gross anatomy
 Regional location:

posterior cranial fossa, covered by cerebellar tentorium

beneath the occipital lobes of cerebral hemispheres

behind the pons and medulla oblongata

roof of the fourth ventricle
 Connections with brainstem structures
(three paired fiber bundles – peduncles):

midbrain – superior cerebellar peduncle
(brachium conjunctivum)

pons – middle cerebellar peduncle
(brachium pontis)

medulla – inferior cerebellar peduncle
(restiform body)
 average weight ~130 g (10% of the total brain volume)
 cerebellum:cerebrum = 1:8 (adult); 1:20 (infant)
 more than 50% of all neurons in the brain
 origin: embryonic hindbrain (rhombencephalon)
 major integrative center for the coordination
of muscular activity
Prof. Dr. Nikolai Lazarov 2
 Cerebellum
Cerebellum – divisions
 three sagital subdivisions:

median portion, cerebellar vermis

two lateral parts, cerebellar hemispheres
 three transverse subdivisions (lobes):

anterior lobe

posterior lobe

flocculonodular lobe

Prof. Dr. Nikolai Lazarov 3

 Cerebellum
Cerebellum – surface topography
 Foliar pattern:

folia cerebelli (transverse leaf-like laminae)
 Cerebellar fissures:

fissura prima – V-shaped

horizontal fissure

pre- and postpyramidal fissure (fissura secunda)

posterolateral fissure
 Vermis lobules:

superior surface:
 lingula
 central lobule
 monticulus:
• culmen
• declive
 folium vermis

inferior surface:
 tuber vermis
 pyramid
 uvula
 nodule

Prof. Dr. Nikolai Lazarov 4

 Cerebellum
Cerebellum – surface topography
 Hemisphere lobules:

superior surface:
 (vinculum lingulae)
 alae of the central lobule
 anterior
quadrangular lobule
 lobulus simplex
(posterior
quadrangular lobule)
 superior semilunar lobule

inferior surface:
 inferior semilunar lobule
 gracile lobule
(paramedianus)
 biventral lobule
 tonsil
 flocculus

Prof. Dr. Nikolai Lazarov 5

 Cerebellum
Phylogenetic and functional divisions
 Archicerebellum:

flocculonodular lobe = flocculus + nodulus
(+ part of uvula)

functionally related to maintenance of balance:
vestibulocerebellum
 Paleocerebellum:

anterior lobe = lingula, central lobule, culmen,
pyramid, uvula (of vermis) + quadrangular
lobules (of cerebellar hemispheres)

regulates body and limb movements,
involved in control of muscle tone
via the spinal cord: spinocerebellum
 Neocerebellum:

posterior lobe = the rest of cerebellum

most concerned with planning movement and
coordination of somatic motor function:
cerebrocerebellum (pontocerebellum)

Prof. Dr. Nikolai Lazarov 6

 Cerebellum
Cerebellum – internal structure
 grey matter:

cerebellar cortex,
cortex cerebelli

intracerebellar (deep) nuclei,
nuclei cerebelli
 white matter,
medullary substance
(corpus medullare):

primary laminae –
“arbor vitae” (tree of life)

intrinsic fibers,
fibrae propriae

projection fibers

myelinated axons
of the Purkinje cells

afferent fibers –
‘climbing’ and ‘mossy’

Prof. Dr. Nikolai Lazarov 7

 Cerebellum
Cerebellar cortex
 Molecular layer, stratum moleculare – 300-400 µm:

outer stellate neurons and basket cells (GABA)

Fañanás glial cells (astrocytes) – feather-like

 Purkinje cell layer,

stratum purkinjense:

Purkinje cells

Bergmann
glial cells

 Granular layer,
stratum granulosum
– 100 µm:

granule cells – 1011
(Glu)

Golgi type II cells
(GABA)

Prof. Dr. Nikolai Lazarov 8

 Cerebellum
Purkinje cells

large flask-shaped – 50-80 µm in diameter

most numerous (15x106) neurons in CNS

large number of dendritic spines (170000/cell)

dendritic tree arborizations in the transverse
plan to the long axis of the folium

Purkinje cell axons – inhibitory synaptic
contacts with deep cerebellar nuclei

GABAergic inhibitory neurons J.E. Purkinje
(1787-1869)

Prof. Dr. Nikolai Lazarov 9

 Cerebellum
Cortical inputs – afferent fibers

climbing fibers:
 originate from the inferior olivary nucleus
 direct excitatory contacts with Purkinje cells

mossy fibers:
 excitatory synaptic contacts with granule cells
 rosettes  cerebellar glomerulus

Prof. Dr. Nikolai Lazarov 10

 Cerebellum
Deep cerebellar nuclei
 Dentate nucleus, nucleus dentatus
 Interpositus nucleus:

emboliform nucleus,
nucleus emboliformis

globose nucleus,
nucleus globosus
 Fastigial nucleus,
nucleus fastigii

Prof. Dr. Nikolai Lazarov 11

 Cerebellum
Cerebellar input: afferent pathways
 pedunculus cerebellaris inferior: archicerebellum, paleocerebellum

tractus spinocerebellaris posterior

tractus bulbocerebellaris
neocerebellum

tractus vestibulocerebellaris paleocerebellum

tractus olivocerebellaris
 pedunculus cerebellaris medius:

tractus pontocerebellaris
 pedunculus cerebellaris superior:

tractus spinocerebellaris anterior

tractus reticulocerebellaris

nearly 200 million input fibers

Prof. Dr. Nikolai Lazarov 12
 Cerebellum
Cerebellar output: efferent pathways

nucleus dentatus, emboliformis et globosus

 pedunculus cerebellaris superior:

tractus cerebellorubralis

tractus cerbellothalamicus

tractus cerebelloreticularis

nucleus fastigii

 pedunculus cerebellaris inferior:

tractus cerebelloolivaris

tractus cerebellovestibularis

Prof. Dr. Nikolai Lazarov 13

 Cerebellum
Cerebellar circuits

 Cortico-cerebellar circuitry:

tractus corticopontini

tractus pontocerebellaris

tractus dentato-rubro-thalamocorticalis
 Trunco-cerebellar circuitry:

tractus rubroolivaris

tractus olivocerebellaris

tractus cerebellorubralis
 Vestibulo-archicerebellar circuitry:

tractus vestibulocerebellaris

tractus cerebellovestibularis

Prof. Dr. Nikolai Lazarov 14

 Cerebellum
Cerebellar dysfunctions
 Neocerebellar disturbances:

hypotonia (decreased muscle tone)

asynergia (diminished capacity for smooth, cooperative,
sequential action between a series of muscle groups)

cerebellar ataxia (disequilibrium&incoordination
of willed movements)

intention tremor (wide tremor during voluntary movements)

nystagmus (inability to fixate an object with the eyes)
 Archicerebellar disturbances :

trunk (truncal) ataxia

vertigo
(dizziness: a whirling or spinning movement)

 Paleocerebellar disturbances:

hypotonia

dyskinesia (presence of involuntary movements)

Prof. Dr. Nikolai Lazarov 15

 Thank you…

Prof. Dr. Nikolai Lazarov 16