Neuroanatomy: Cerebellum and Basal Ganglia

Question 1

what are the main functions of the cerebellum

Answer 1

mainly coordination of movements and motor planning, but cerebellar pathways also participate in speech, motor learning, and respiratory movements

Question 2

for each of the three cerebellar peduncles, state whether they carry input our output

Answer 2

superior: mainly output

middle and inferior: mainly inputs

Question 3

what are alternative names for the superior, middle and inferior cerebellar peduncles

Answer 3

superior cerebellar: brachium conjunctivum

middle: brachium pontis
inferior: restiform body

Question 4

truncal ataxia suggests damage to what part of the cerebellum?

Answer 4

the vermis and flocculonodular lobe

Question 5

what part of the cerebellum controls motor planning

Answer 5

lateral hemisphere

Question 6

what does the intermediate hemisphere of the cerebellum do

Answer 6

distal limb coordination

Question 7

where do the dentate nuclei receive projections from?

Answer 7

lateral part

Question 8

where do the emboliform and globose nuclei receive projections from? what is the name for the two nuclei combined?

Answer 8

intermediate part; interposed nuclei

Question 9

where do the fastigial nuclei receive projections from?

Answer 9

the vermis and some small input from the floculonodular lobe

Question 10

what are the two main kinds of input neurons to the cerebellum?

Answer 10

mossy fibers and climbing fibers

Question 11

what kinds of neurons provide output from the cerebellum?

Answer 11

Purkinje cells

Question 12

list the layers of the cerebellum from deepest to most superficial

Answer 12

white matter, granule cell layer, Purkinje cell layer, molecular cell layer

Question 13

where do mossy fibers originate and where do they synapse?

Answer 13

mossy fibers originate from pontine nuclei among other sources and they synapse on granule cells

Question 14

where do climbing fibers originate and where do they synapse?

Answer 14

climbing fibers originate from the inferior olivary nucleus and synapse on Purkinje cells

Question 15

to what part of the thalamus do cerebellar outputs project to

Answer 15

VL

Question 16

what is dyskinesia?

Answer 16

abnormal movement

Question 17

what is paratonia?

Answer 17

a patient’s seemingly voluntary, active resistance against the movement of the limbs

Question 18

chorea suggest degeneration of what part of the brain? what common disease does this implicate?

Answer 18

the caudate nucleus, Huntington’s

Question 19

lesion of the subthalamus causes what movement disorder?

Answer 19

ballismus (commonly hemiballismus)

Question 20

what causes Parkinson’s (i.e. what change in the brain occurs)?

Answer 20

loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta (usually idiopathic, but can be familial in rare cases)

Question 21

what causes Huntington’s Disease and what’s its inheritance pattern?

Answer 21

degeneration of the striatum (especially the caudate), Huntington’s is autosomal dominant

Question 22

name the four causes of Alzheimer’s disease

Answer 22

neuronal loss, cerebral atrophy, amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles

Question 23

what comprises the classic triad of Parkinson’s disease?

Answer 23

resting tremor, bradykinesia, rigidity (cogswheel)

Question 24

what are characteristic symptoms of Huntington’s disease?

Answer 24

chorea, saccades, impaired visual smooth pursuit, depression, anxiety, OCD, reduced attention and impaired memory