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The cerebellum is a part of the nervous system, the main task of which is to regulate muscle tone and enable us to make any movements. Performing these functions is possible mainly due to its complicated structure - attention is paid to, for example, what cells are in the cerebellum, because it is there that the largest and the smallest nerve cells are present. Damage to the cerebellum may manifest itself in imbalances, but not only - what other symptoms of cerebellar diseases may be?

Cerebellumin Latin it is calledcerebellum , which means "small brain" - this name comes from the fact that this organ resembles larger hemispheres of the brain. The term cerebellum itself is derived, as it were, from the diminutive of the word brain, not only in Polish, but also in other languages ​​- the word cerebellum is just a diminutive that comes from the Latincerebrum .

The existence of the cerebellum has been discussed in the medical world since the earliest times - even ancient scientists mentioned this organ, e.g. Aristotle. However, it was only after many years that the structure (in the 17th century) and functions of the cerebellum (in the 19th century) were known. We know a lot about this organ today, but most probably specialists have not yet discovered all the functions of the cerebellum.

Móżdżek: construction

The cerebellum is located in the posterior fossa of the skull and is adjacent to the fourth ventricle, the bridge and the medulla that belong to the brainstem. Above it is the cerebellum, which is separated from the cerebellum by the dura mater protrusion, which is the cerebellar tent.

Within the cerebellum, two hemispheres are distinguished - right and left - between which there is a cerebellar worm. The outer surface of this organ is made up of the cerebellar cortex, and underneath it there is a white matter with scattered nuclei of the cerebellum. There are 10 lobules on the surface of the organ, separated in turn by fissures. The most important are two of them, which are the first and the posterolateral fissure, because they divide the cerebellum into lobes: anterior, posterior and cloc-follicular.

The cerebellum communicates with other parts of the central nervous system through the so-called branches, which are:

  • upper boughcerebellum: it connects the cerebellum with the interbrain and there are afferent and centrifugal fibers in it, responsible for the transmission of signals between the cerebellum and the thalamus and the motor cortex
  • middle limb of the cerebellum: through it, the cerebellum connects with the bridge and this way the afferent fibers reach it, which transmit information about motor activities coordinated by the motor cortex of the brain
  • inferior limb of the cerebellum: in it there are centrifugal and centripetal fibers that communicate between the cerebellum and the elongated core

Considering the above, it is clear that the structure of the cerebellum is quite complex - but it doesn't end there. It is quite popular to divide the cerebellum into areas related to the performance of strictly defined functions. In this approach, the following stands out:

  • vestibular cerebellum: the cloc-papular lobe belongs to it and it is connected with the vestibular system that controls the balance
  • spinal cerebellum: it is formed primarily by the cerebellar worm and is associated with receiving stimuli from the spinal cord
  • new (cortical) cerebellum: it includes the lateral parts of the cerebellar hemispheres and its function is to receive information from the cerebral cortex

Cerebellum: histological anatomy

The cerebellum has an interesting macroscopic but also microscopic anatomy. It is built, among others Purkinje cells - they are one of the largest nerve cells that are found in humans and their characteristic feature is that they have numerous branches.

Granular cells are also present, which in turn are considered the smallest nerve cells. The presence of specific nerve fibers inside the cerebellum, which are mossy and climbing fibers, which ensure communication between the cerebellum and individual, previously mentioned, other parts of the central nervous system, is also noteworthy.

Cerebellum: vascularization

Blood reaches the cerebellum through the vertebral and basilar arteries. The inferior anterior cerebellar artery is derived from the first of these, and the inferior anterior and superior cerebellar arteries are derived from the basilar artery.

The venous vascularization of the cerebellum is a bit more complicated. Blood flows from its upper parts to the transverse and rocky upper sinus, and from the upper part to the great vein of the brain or straight sinus.

Blood flows from the lower parts of the cerebellum to the occipital, transverse and sigmoid and rocky sinuses, and to the straight sinus.

Cerebellum: functions

The cerebellum is primarily involved in the course of movement phenomena, in addition to thatit plays a significant role in enabling balance to be maintained. More specifically, the functions of the cerebellum include:

  • motor coordination: most of the movements we undertake require the involvement and simultaneous work of many different muscle fibers - it is the cerebellum that makes this process run properly
  • maintaining balance: the cerebellum receives information, e.g. from receptors that receive signals about the position of the body in space, and thanks to this, it can direct appropriate signals to various muscle groups, allowing us to maintain balance, among others by keeping the muscle fibers in the right tension
  • eye movement control
  • participation in learning new movements and controlling the course of the free movements we have planned: it may sound a bit enigmatic, but in practice it is not complicated at all - it is the cerebellum that is involved in controlling the performance of complex movements and learning by us how to perform them - thanks to this organ, we are able to learn to ride a bicycle or play an instrument (e.g. guitar)

Other potential functions of the cerebellum are also mentioned. Many researchers have argued that the cerebellum may have an impact on human cognitive functions (e.g. the course of thought processes) or even our mood, but it is currently difficult - due to the lack of unequivocal evidence - to include them directly among the tasks performed by this organ.

Cerebellum: diseases and symptoms of cerebellar damage

As you can guess, disorders of the cerebellum are mainly manifested by the appearance of imbalances in the patient. However, these are not the only symptoms of cerebellar diseases - apart from them, there can also be:

  • uncontrolled, involuntary eye movements
  • gait disturbance
  • speech difficulties
  • headache
  • motor coordination disorders
  • difficulties with making fast alternating movements (known as adiadochokinesis)
  • involuntary movements (e.g. tremors)

Listed above, and several other problems - when they coexist at the same time - are referred to ascerebellar syndrome . The diseases that can lead to it include, among others, units such as cerebellar infarct or cerebellar tumors.

The above-mentioned ailments may also appear in the course of toxic damage to this organ, e.g. by alcohol. The group of diseases in which changes in the cerebellum may occur are includedthere are also, among others

  • multiple sclerosis
  • Friedreich's ataxia
  • multi-system decay

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Category:

Anatomy