Cerebellum Flashcards
What are the functions of the cerebellum?
Coordinating movements, maintaining posture, motor learning, and procedural memory
What is the molecular layer of the cerebellum?
Lies next to pial surface and has a few neurons; cell bodies of basket cells and stellate cells are there
What is the purkinje layer of the cerebellum?
Contains purkinje cell bodies
What is the granular layer of the cerebellum?
Deepest layer; contains granule cells and a few golgi cells
What is the white matter of the cerebellum?
Axons of neurons
What are purkinje cells?
Output cells from cerebellar cortex; inhibit the cerebellar nuclei and the vestibular nuclei; neurotransmitter is GABA; highly differentiated with many dendrites
What are granule cells?
Smallest neurons; only excitatory neurons; neurotransmitter is glutamate
What are stellate cells?
Their axons synapse only with purkinje cells and inhibit them; star-shaped dendrites
What are golgi cells?
Inhibitory neurons; neurotransmitter is GABA; large scattered neurons with short axons
What are basket cells?
Their axons synapse with purkinje cells and inhibit them; neurotransmitter is GABA
What are the types of afferent fibers in the cerebellum?
Climbing and mossy fibers
What are climbing fibers?
From inferior olive; myelinated with excitatory influence on purkinje cells; convey info regarding movement errors to the cerebellum
What are mossy fibers?
From spinal cord, reticular formation, vestibular system, and pontine nuclei; synapse with granulocytes; convey somatosensory, arousal, equilibrium, and cerebral cortex motor info to cerebellum
What are the functional divisions of the cerebellum?
Archicerebellum/vestibulocerebellum, paleocerebellum/spinocerebellum, and neocerebellum/pontocerebellum
What is the vestibulocerebellum?
Functional name for flocculonodular lobe; receives info directly from vestibular receptors; sends output to the vestibular nuclei; also receives info from visual areas; functions to influence eye movements and postural muscles of head and body
What is the spinocerebellum?
Functional name for vermis and paraventral region; somatosensory info, internal feedback from spinal interneurons and sensorimotor cortex; functions to control ongoing movement via the brainstem descending tracts; axial and lower extremity movements as well as gait and station