THE CEREBELLUM

Question 1

What is the function of the cerebellum?

Answer 1

• Doesn’t initiate movement
• Fine tunes movement
• Essential for coordination, precision and timing
• Damage doesn’t cause paralysis
• Helps provide smooth coordinated body movement

Question 2

What are the regions of the cerebellum?

Answer 2

Cerebrocerebellum

Spinocerebellum

Vestibulocerebellum

Question 3

Describe the cerebrocerebellum

Answer 3

Phylogenetically youngest of the cerebellum regions

Extensive connections with cerebral cortex

Question 4

Describe the spinocerebellem

Answer 4

Phylogenetically of intermediate age of the cerebellum regions

Extensive connections with spinal cord and brain stem

Question 5

Describe the vestibulocerebellum

Answer 5

Phylogenetically the oldest region of the cerebellum

Extensive connections with vestibular system

Question 6

What cells make up the cerebral cortical layer?

Answer 6

Purkinje cells

Golgi cells

Granule cells

Basket and stellate cells

Question 7

Describe purkinje cells

Answer 7

Constitute sole cerebellar output neurons.
Send inhibitory output to deep cerebellar nuclei which project to other parts of the CNS.
Receive input from 2 sources: climbing fibres arising from the inferior olivary nucleus and parallel fibres from granule cells.
They are fundamental in the function of the cerebellum and the most distinctive cells in the CNS.

Question 8

Describe golgi cells

Answer 8

Receive input from parallel fibres but also send inhibitory output back to the granule cells in a feedback loop

Question 9

Describe basket and stellate cells

Answer 9

Inhibitory interneurons which get input from parallel fibres and inhibit adjacent rows of purkinje cells

Question 10

Describe granule cells

Answer 10

Small excitatory interneurons are estimated to account for half the cells in the CNS,
They give rise to parallel fibres supplying purkinje cells.
Input is from mossy fibres which come from the corticopontine cerebellar and spinocerebellar tracts