Cerebellum

Question 1

What are the major organizational divisions of the cerebellum?

Answer 1

• vermis (midline)
• hemispheres
• flocculus

Question 2

Does the cerebellum influence motor activity?

Answer 2

yes, but not directly (outputs have no direct connection to spinal cord)

Question 3

Which peduncle(s) does incoming information go through?

Answer 3

inferior and middle peduncles

Question 4

Which peduncle(s) does information exiting the cerebellum go through?

Answer 4

superior peduncle

Question 5

How many total cerebellar peduncles are there in the body?

Answer 5

6! (superior, inferior, and middle on each hemisphere of the cerebellum)

Question 6

The primary fissure divides what?

Answer 6

anterior and posterior lobes

Question 7

The horizontal fissure divides what?

Answer 7

posterior lobe into two parts

Question 8

What is the flocculonodular lobe thought to be involved with?

Answer 8

balance, as many of its fibers project to the vestibular nucleus

Question 9

What are the main inputs to the inferior cerebellar peduncle?

Answer 9

fibers from cerebral cortex, which synapse in pontine gray nuclei before traveling through MCP

Question 10

What are the main inputs to the middle cerebellar peduncle?

Answer 10

vestibular and cochlear nuclei, inferior olive, and dorsal spinocerebellar / cuneocerebellar tracts

Question 11

Where do Purkinje fibers from vermis project?

Answer 11

fastigial nucleus

Question 12

Where do Purkinje fibers from paravermal area project?

Answer 12

interposed nucleus

Question 13

Where do Purkinje fibers from cerebellar hemisphere project?

Answer 13

dentate nucleus

Question 14

What are the deep cerebellar nuclei?

Answer 14

fastigial nucleus, interposed nucleus (globose-emboliform), dentate nucleus

Question 15

________ project out via superior cerebellar peduncle.

Answer 15

output fibers of deep nuclei

Question 16

What are the afferents projecting to the ICP?

Answer 16

-afferents: inferior olivary nucleus, vestibular nuclei, and spinal cord
-efferents: vestibular nuclei from flocculonodular lobe
(remember that IC is predominantly afferent)

Question 17

What are the afferents projecting to the SCP? What are the efferents?

Answer 17

• ONLY afferent: anterior spinocerebellar tract

- efferents: deep cerebellar nuclei

Question 18

What are the afferents projecting to the ICP? What are the efferents?

Answer 18

• afferents: cerebral cortex

- no efferents!

Question 19

Cells that send their axons into the molecular layer as parallel fibers:

Answer 19

granular cells (within granular layer)

Question 20

Layer of the cerebellum that contains only axons that leave the cerebellar cortex:

Answer 20

Purkinje cell layer

Question 21

Layer of the cerebellum that is mainly axons and dendrites (no cell bodies):

Answer 21

molecular layer

Question 22

Which cells are contained within the molecular layer?

Answer 22

basket cells and stellate cells

Question 23

The vermis affects coordination of which part of the body?

Answer 23

trunk

Question 24

The cerebellar hemispheres affect coordination of mainly which part of the body?

Answer 24

extremities

Question 25

True or false: the cerebellum is solely motor.

Answer 25

False! The cerebellum also affects certain cognitive functions, including language/working memory, executive functions, and emotions. Combination of motor/sensory and cognitive explains how we express ourselves and interact.