The Cerebellum

CONTENTS
Location.................................................................................................................................. 1
Relations................................................................................................................................. 1
Positioning............................................................................................................................... 2
External features (Surface anatomy).......................................................................................2
The lobulation of the cerebellum.......................................................................................... 2
Structure of the cerebellum:................................................................................................... 3
Grey matter......................................................................................................................... 3
White matter........................................................................................................................ 4
The inferior cerebellar peduncles......................................................................................4
The middle cerebellar peduncles......................................................................................4
The superior cerebellar peduncles....................................................................................4
Functional subdivisions........................................................................................................ 4
The Neocerebellum (Pontocerebellum).............................................................................4
The Paleocerebellum (Spinocerebellum)...........................................................................5
The Archicerebellum (Vestibulocerebellum)......................................................................5

The cerebellum is a part of the central nervous system, a collateral station for ascending and descending
pathways. It has an ovoid shape, flattened supero-inferiorly, its greatest diameter being the transverse.

LOCATION
-

The posterior compartment of the skull endobase, in the cerebellar fossas, below a dura mater tent-like
structure, the tentorium cerebelli.

RELATIONS
-

Anterior: the brain stem separated by the cavity of the 4th ventricle and linked laterally by the cerebellar
peduncles. Most laterally, it comes in contact with the posterior surface of the petrous part of the
temporal bone.

Superior: the occipital lobes of the brain separated by dura mater (the tentorium cerebelli)

Inferior: the cerebellar fossas of the occipital bone

Posterior: the transverse dural sinuses (laterally) and the falx cerebelli (on the midline).

POSITIONING
- anterior: the narrow fossa in-between the cerebellar peduncles (the hilum);
- inferior: the convex surface with the most prominent features (the tonsils or amygdalae).

EXTERNAL FEATURES (SURFACE ANATOMY)

The cerebellum has three parts: two lateral symmetrical parts the cerebellar hemispheres and a median
part called vermis.
The external aspect of the cerebellum features three surfaces and a circumference:
On the superior surface, the limits between the more prominent vermis and the laterally-sloping
hemispheres are vague.
On the inferior surface of the cerebellum, the hemispheres appear as two prominent convex features. Inbetween those, a deep notch (called the vallecula) contains the inferior aspect of the vermis.
The anterior surface of the cerebellum faces also slightly inferiorly. It features a rather deep, narrow fossa
limited laterally by the cerebellar peduncles, the latter forming at this level a single cord on either side. The three
pairs of peduncles are joining the cerebellum to the brainstem. The aforementioned fossa is also called the hilum
(because of the close-by cerebellar peduncles that include efferent and afferent fibers), and it represents the deepest
portion of the roof of the fourth ventricle (hence the label of posterior recess of the 4th ventricle). The superior
cerebellar peduncles are connected by a thin lamina of white matter, the superior medullary velum. The inferior
cerebellar peduncles are connected in the superior half by a similar thin lamina of white matter, the inferior
medullary velum, with a concave dorsal surface cupping the amygdala lobules. The lower parts of the inferior
peduncles are connected by a thin membrane, the tela choroidea of the 4th ventricle, continuous with the inferior
medullary velum. The latter is of a fibrous nature (not nervous tissue), and supports the choroid plexus of the 4th
ventricle, a vascular structure responsible for producing and absorbing CSF (cerebro-spinal fluid).
The circumference separates the superior and the inferior cerebellar surfaces. It fits the transverse dural
venous sinuses (located in the posterior compartment of the endobase) and the posterior surface of the petrous part
of temporal bones. It has a deep notch on the midline, the posterior cerebellar notch, where the sagittal-oriented
falx cerebelli partially separates the two cerebellar hemispheres. An anterior cerebellar notch fits the frenulum of
the superior medullary velum and the inferior colliculi. The circumference is intersected by a deep sulcus passing
from the vermis on the superior surface to the inferior surface of the cerebellum (ends between the middle cerebellar
peduncle and the cerebellum).

THE LOBULATION OF THE CEREBELLUM

The surface of the cerebellum presents transverse grooves concentrically to the anterior cerebellar notch.
They are continuous from one hemisphere to the other over the vermis and have different depths, the deepest ones
splitting the cerebellum into lobules.
Starting from the superior medullary velum to the inferior one, here are the lobules of the cerebellum, baring
different names at the level of the vermis from the ones on the hemispheres. The lobules on the same row are limited
by the same sulci.

Lobe

Vermis

Hemisphere

Anterior lobe

Lingula

Vinculum lingulae

Central lobule

Ala (the wing) of central lobule

Culmen

Anterior quadrangular
The primary fissure

Posterior lobe

Declive

Posterior quadrangular

Folium

Superior semilunar
The horizontal fissure

Tuber

Inferior semilunar

Pyramid

Gracilis
Digastric (Biventer)
Fisura secunda

Flocculo-nodular lobe

Uvula

Amygdala (The tonsil)

Nodulus

Flocculus

STRUCTURE OF THE CEREBELLUM:

GREY MATTER
-

The cerebellar cortex: consists of three layers (from outermost to innermost): molecular, piriform
(Purkinje) and granular.

The cerebellar nuclei (from medial to lateral): fastigial, globose, emboliform, dentate.

WHITE MATTER
-

Afferent fibers: enter the cerebellum through all three cerebellar peduncles. Mossy fibers project diffuse
information on the cortex (e.g. spino-cerebellar fibers), while climbing fibers synapse with one Purkinje
neuron each (e.g. olivo-cerebellar fibers).
3

Efferent fibers: exit primarily through the superior cerebellar peduncles, but also through the inferior
cerebellar peduncles, never through the middle cerebellar peduncles. Their origin is always in nuclei of
the cerebellum, never the cortex.

THE INFERIOR CEREBELLAR PEDUNCLES contain:

a.

Afferent fibers:
Bulbo-cerebellar fibers:
From the lower part of the spinal cord (Direct spino- cerebellar fascicle of Flechsig)
From the cuneat accessory nucleus (Cuneo-cerebellar fascicle)
From the olivary nucleus in the bulbus (Olivo- cerebellar fascicle)
From the sensory trigeminal nucleus of Rolando (Trigemino-cerebellar fascicle)
From the vestibular nuclei (Vestibulo- cerebellar fascicle)
From the reticular formation (Reticulo-cerebellar fascicle)
Efferent fibers:
Cerebello-bulbar fibers
To the vestibular nuclei (Cerebello-vestibular fascicle)
To the olivary nucleus in the bulbus (Cerebello-olivary fascicle)
To the bulbar reticular formation (Cerebello-reticular fascicle)

THE MIDDLE CEREBELLAR PEDUNCLES contain:

Afferent fibers only:
From the pontine nuclei (Ponto- cerebellar fascicle)

b.

a.
b.
-

THE SUPERIOR CEREBELLAR PEDUNCLES contain:

Efferent fibers:
Cerebello-mesencephalic fibers:
To the red nucleus (Cerebello-rubral fascicle)
To the thalamus (Cerebello-thalamic fascicle)
Afferent fibers:
Mesencephalic-cerebellar fibers:
From the upper part of the spinal cord (Crossed spino-cerebellar fascicle of Gowers)
From the colliculi (Tecto-cerebellar fascicle)
From the red nucleus (Rubro-cerebellar fascicle)

FUNCTIONAL SUBDIVISIONS
From a functional point of view, the cerebellum consists of three functional lobes:
THE NEOCEREBELLUM (PONTOCEREBELLUM) includes the lateral parts of the hemispheres: the
dentate nuclei. These nuclei connect with the following cortical lobules: folium, tuber, posterior quadrangular,
superior and inferior semilunar, gracilis and digastric.
Role: control of voluntary movements (regulation of cerebral cortical motor output) procedural learning (e.g.
riding a bike, skiing).
Lesion: intentional tremor.
THE PALEOCEREBELLUM (SPINOCEREBELLUM) includes the medial region of each hemisphere
(the paravermis): the nuclei globose and emboliform. These nuclei connect with the following cortical lobules:
lingula, central lobule, culmen, declive, pyramid, uvula, vinculum lingulae, ala of the central lobule, anterior
quadrangular lobules and the amygdala (the tonsil).
Role: modulation of muscle tone and coordination of movement.

Lesion:
-

Ataxia (inability to coordinate contraction of different muscle groups): lack of smooth, orderly action
between muscle groups (asynergia), a complex act becomes an irregular sequence (decomposition of
movements), defect in rapid alternating movements, e.g., supination-pronation (dysdiadochokinesis),
movement range control deficiency (dysmetria).

THE ARCHICEREBELLUM (VESTIBULOCEREBELLUM) includes the vermis and the

flocculonodular lobe: the fastigial nuclei, connecting mainly with the flocculus and nodulus lobules of the
cortex.
Role: balance maintenance, coordinates eye movements and speech.
Lesion:
-

Imbalance: swaying, tendency to fall backwards, astasia (incapacity of standing);

Nystagmus (loss of smooth eye-pursuit of moving objects);
Defects of speech (also alcohol-induced, the vermis is affected).