Module 2 Flashcards
- is situated in the posterior cranial fossa and is covered superiorly by the tentorium cerebelli
- largest part of the hindbrain and lies posterior to the 4th ventricle, pons and medulla oblongata
- somewhat ovoid in shape and constricted in its median part
Cerebellum
Cerebellum consists of two cerebellar hemispheres joined by a narrow median __
vermis
The cerebellum is connected to the posterior aspect of the brainstem by three symmetrical bundles of nerve fibers called the ___
superior, middle, and inferior cerebellar peduncles
The cerebellum is divided into three main lobes:
- Anterior lobe
- Middle lobe
- Flocculonodular lobe
– superior surface of the cerebellum and is separated from the middle lobe by a wide V-shaped fissure called the primary fissure
Anterior lobe
– sometimes called the posterior lobe
– is the largest part of the cerebellum, is situated
between the primary and uvulonodular fissures.
Middle lobe
– is situated posterior to the uvulonodular fissure
Flocculonodular lobe
– found along the margin of the cerebellum separates the superior from the inferior surfaces
Horizontal fissure
The cerebellum is composed of an outer covering of gray matter called ____
cortex and inner white matter.
Embedded in the white matter of each hemisphere are three masses of gray matter forming the ____
intracerebellar nuclei
3 Functional Divisions of the Cerebellum
- Paleocerebellum
- Neocerebellum
- Archicerebellum
- Consists of the vermis of the anterior lobe, the pyramids, the uvula, and the paraflocculus
- Also known as the spinocerebellum
- Plays a role in the control of muscle tone and the axial and limb movements.
Paleocerebellum
- Corticocerebellum or cerebrocerebellum
- Consists of the middle portion of the vermis and most of the cerebellar hemispheres
- Also known as pontocerebellum
- Projects fibers to the cerebral cortex through the thalamus
- Plays a role in the planning and initiation of movements, as well as regulation of fine limb movements.
Neocerebellum
- Corresponds to the flocculonodular lobe
- Also called the vestibulocerebellum
- Receives input from areas of the brain concerned with eye movements
- Plays a role in the control of body equilibrium and eye movements.
Archicerebellum
A section made through the cerebellum parallel with the median plane divides the folia at right angles, and the cut surface has a branched appearance, called the ____
arbor vitae
The gray matter of the cortex throughout its extent has a uniform structure. It may be divided into three layers:
- an external layer, the molecular layer
- a middle layer, the Purkinje cell layer
- an internal layer, the granular layer
Cerebellar Output
Spinocerebellum fastigial>>medial descending systems>> motor execution interposed>>lateral descending systems>> motor execution Cerebrocerebellum dentate>>areas 4 and 6>>motor planning Vestibulocerebellum vestibular nuclei>>balance and eye movements
Internal Structure of the Cerebellum
Gray matter – outside and inside (Small aggregations of gray matter in the interior, called cerebellar nuclei)
White matter – inside
Gray matter of the Cerebellum: 3 Layers
Molecular layer – stellate cells, basket cells
Purkinje cell layer – Purkinje cells, which are large Golgi type 1 neurons
Granular layer – granule cells (fibers of which form parallel fibers), neuroglial cells, Golgi cells
Gray matter of the Cerebellum
- Purkinje cell – output
- Mainly inhibitory except granule cells (utilizes glutamate)
- Main neurotransmitter: γ-ABA
- Output of the cerebellar nuclei is excitatory but is modulated by an inhibitory cortical loop, effected by Purkinje Cell output
White matter of the Cerebellum
- Intrinsic fibers
- Afferent fibers
- Efferent fibers
– connect different regions WITHIN the cerebellum (folium-folium; hemisphere-hemisphere)
Intrinsic fibers
– form the greater part of the white matter, PROCEED to the cerebellar cortex; enter though the INFERIOR and MIDDLE cerebellar peduncles
– 3 types: mossy (predominantly), climbing (olivocerebellar tracts), multilayered
Afferent fibers
– constitute the OUTPUT of the cerebellum; commence as the axons of the Purkinje cells, which synapse with the neurons of the cerebellar nuclei; exit mainly through the SUPERIOR and INFERIOR cerebellar peduncle
Efferent fibers