CEREBELLUM

WORD DEFINITION
Posture Position of body
Station Stance
Gait Manner/style of walking
Akinesia Absence/poor movement
Dyskinesia Fragmentary/incomplete movement
Dystonia Disordered tonicity of muscle
Dysmetria Improper measuring of distance in muscular acts
Dysdiadochokinesia Cannot perform rapid alternating movements
Tremor Rhythmic involuntary movement
Ataxia Lack of finely tuned muscular movements involved in postural control; cannot coordinate voluntary movements
WHAT IS THE LOBULAR & ZONULAR ORGANIZATION OF THE CEREBELLUM? HOW IS IT RELATED TO FUNCTION?
 Cerebellum has highly packed neurons that arranged in folia
 Cerebellum has 3 lobes:
o Posterior
o Anterior
o Flucculondular
o Midline=Vermis
 Cerebellum is described in zones depending on embryological origin
o Paleocerebellum/Spinocerebellum=Intermediate Zone
 Has some vermis & cortices of anterior & posterior
lobes
 Regulates muscle tone & ongoing movements
 Main input=Spinocerebellar Tracts
o Pontocerebellum/Neocerebellum=Lateral Zone
 Consists of most of cerebellar cortex
 Coordinates planning of movements
 Input comes from sensory & motor cortex
o Vestibulocerebellum/Archicerebellum
 Nodule, vermis & both floccule
 Controls balance & eye movements
 Input comes from semicircular canals & vestibular nuclei “Don’t Eat Greasy Foods”

WHAT ARE THE DEEP CEREBELLAR NUCLEI? HOW ARE THEY RELATED TO THE ZONULAR ORGANIZATION?
 Dentate Nucleus
o Works w/ Pontocerebellar System “planning of movements”
 Emboliform Nucleus & Globose Nucleus
o Together=Interposed Nuclei
o Works w/ Paleocerebellar System “regulates muscle tone & ongoing
movements”
 Fastigial Nucleus
o Works w/ Vestibulocerebellar System

3-LAYERED CEREBELLAR ARCHITECTURE

1. Molecular Layer – outermost
a. Find stellate & basket cells here
b. Both are inhibitory interneurons
2. Purkinje Cell Layer
a. Huge fan of dendrites in molecular layer; in contact w/ parallel fibers
b. PURKINJE CELLS = MAJOR OUTPUT FOR CEREBELLAR CORTEX
3. Granule Cell Layer – innermost
a. Looks like grains of sand
 b. Granule cells are found here
i. Axons extend into
molecular layer
 5 different cell types in these layers
o Stellate Cells – inhibitory on Purkinje
Cell dendrites
o Basket Cells – inhibitory on Purkinje
cell soma in Purkinje Layer
o Purkinje Cells – inhibitory on DCN via
GABA
 MAJOR OUTPUT NEURON
OF CEREBELLAR CORTEX
o Golgi Cells – inhibitory on Mossy Fibers in Granule Cell Layer
o Granule Cells – EXCITATORY on Basket, Stellate & Golgi Cells & Purkinje
cell dendrites in Molecular Layer

WHAT IS THE LOCAL CIRCUITRY? HOW DOES IT COMMUNICATE W/ DEEP CEREBELLAR

NUCLEI?
 Mossy & Climbing Fibers both send signals into local circuitry
o They also provide + on DCN
 Purkinje Cells need to provide some sort of inhibition
 DCN will decide on correct movement dependent on balance b/w (+) & (-)

WHAT ARE THE AFFERENT INPUTS INTO THE CEREBELLUM? WHICH INPUTS ARE MOSSY?
WHICH ARE CLIMBING?
 2 ways to get info into cerebellum:
o Mossy Fiber – terminate as + synapses w/ dendrites of granule cells
 Give info about movements (i.e. muscles involved,
direction, speed & force)
o Climbing Fiber – comes from inferior olivary nucleus (from
rostral medulla)
 Terminate as + synapses
 Gives info about errors in execution of movement;
gives an error signal when movement does not
correspond to what was intended

3 CIRCUITS – PALEOCEREBELLUM, PONTOCEREBELLUM &

VESTIBULOCEREBULLUM: WHAT DO THEY MODULATE? WHAT ARE THEIR
MAJOR INPUTS?
 Cerebellar Function:
o Functions are IPSILATERAL; afferent input to cerebellum that
comes from one side of the body, will terminate in same side
of cerebellum
o Architecture/Circuitry of Cerebellar Cortex is constant
o Cerebellar Dysfunction
 Lesions DO NOT CAUSE PARALYSIS; cause issues w/ coordination
1. Anterior (Ventral) Spinocerebellar Pathway
a. Gets input from Golgi tendon organs & spinal interneurons, cutaneous receptors & fibers of descending tracts in LOWER
extremities=INTENDED MOVEMENT
b. Pathway:
i. 1st cell body=DRG
1. Fibers travel up via Fasciculus Gracilis
ii. 2nd cell body=Spinal Border Cells
1. These are found in lumbar regions of anterior horn in Lamina VII
2. Decussate in Anterior White Commissure
3. Travel up via Anterior Spinocerebellar Tract (found in Anterior Lateral Funiculus)
a. Goes through Superior Cerebellar Peduncle to Cerebellum
2. Posterior (Dorsal) Spinocerebellar Pathway
a. Sends signals from muscle spindles & Golgi tendon organs, info about individual muscles in LOWER extremities
b. Pathyway:
i. 1st cell body = DRG
1. Travels up as Fasciculus Gracilis
 ii. 2nd cell body=Clarke’s Nucleus (T1-L2)
1. Travels up via Dorsal Spinocerebellar Tract
(found in lateral funiculus)
a. Goes through Inferior Cerebellar
Peduncle to Cerebellum
3. Cuneocerebellar Pathway
a. Sends signals from muscle spindles & Golgi tendon organs, info
about individual muscles in UPPER extremities
b. Pathway:
i. 1st cell body=DRG
1. Travels up as Fasciculus Gracilis
ii. 2nd cell body=Lateral (external, accessory) Cuneate Nucleus
1. Travels up via Cuneocerebellar Tract
a. Goes through Inferior Cerebellar
Peduncle to Cerebellum
 Corollary Motor Discharge – cerebellum gets info from motor
structures=intention of what to do
 Sensory Feedback – cerebellum gets info about exteroceptive & proprioceptive
info about “results”=actual effect of motor output on muscles & external
world
 Modulatory Output to Motor Centers – cerebellum compares intended vs.
actual=makes adjustments; COORDINATION
1. Paleocerebellar System
a. Rubrospinal has to send corollary motor discharge (what it intends
to do)
i. NEED TO KNOW STATE OF MUSCLE
b. From muscle spindle, will have sensory (Cuneocerebellar Tract) to
bring info from proximal limb
c. Black dot in figure=local inhibitory circuitry system
i. Output from black dot=Purkinje Cell Fibers onto DCN
ii. Sends message to red nucleus
2. Pontocerebellar System
a. Afferent sensory information from the cortex comes into lateral
zone/pontocerebellar region
b. Corollary motor fibers enter lateral zone via Corticospinal Tract; they
cross midline & enter cerebellum through Middle Cerebellar
Peduncle
c. Lateral zone projects to Dentate Nucleus; sends projections through
Superior Cerebellar Peduncle (crosses midline) & synapses on VL
nucleus of thalamus
3. Vestibulocerebellar System
a. Afferent sensory information from vestibular apparatus comes into cerebellum via Inferior Cerebellar Peduncle & projects to medial
zone/vestibulocerebellar region
b. Corollary motor fibers enter vesitbulocerebellar from Vestibulospinal Tract
c. Cerebellum compares vestibular input w/ “intended” output of Vestibulospinal Tract; makes the necessary corrections
d. Vestibulocerebellar region projects to Fastigial Nucleus then to Vestibular Nuclei to regulate output of Vestibulospinal Tract

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE B/W TRUNCAL & APPENDICULAR ATAXIA? WHAT KIND OF LESION WOULD PRODUCE THEM? WHAT TEST WOULD BE USED TO
DETERMINE THEM?
 Truncal Ataxia
o Lesion to vermis/flocculondular lobe
o Get loss of equilibrium
o Patients have “drunk-like” gait
o Tandem Gait Test – patients fall or deviate toward side
of lesion during walking
o Romberg Test (DOES NOT TEST CEREBELLAR FUNCTION)
– patient sways when eyes are closed; however, if
cerebellum is compromised, patient will sway before
this test
 Appendicular Ataxia
o Lesion to cerebellar hemispheres/lateral zone
o Affects lateral motor systems
o Patients have dysdiadochokinesia – patients cannot
pronate or supinate; have hypotonia (loss of muscle
tone)
o Finger-Nose-Finger (Pass-Pointing Test)=patient asked
to alternately touch nose & examiner’s finger as quickly
as possible
 Looks @ irregular wavering movements
 Friedreich’s Ataxia
o Autosomal recessive disorder on chromosome 9
o Issues w/ protein Frataxin=decrease in amount
o Degeneration of nervous system
o Symptoms:
 Muscle weakness & uncoordination
 Diabetes & heart disease