Diseases of the cerebellum are diseases of the nervous system. Due to the central controlling and coordinating role this system plays, they can have a very dramatic course, sometimes even associated with significant impairment.

The human cerebellumhas the shape of a flattened ellipse. It is located at the bottom back of the head, between the hemispheresof the brain . There is a flatter upper surface of the cerebellum and a strongly convex lower surface. Due to the functions performed by individual parts of the cerebellum, it is divided into:

  • Vestibular cerebellum - responsible for the balance and eye movements
  • Spinal cerebellum - responsible formotor coordination
  • New cerebellum - responsible for planning movements and muscle tone

How the cerebellum works

The cerebellum receives information from many centers of the brain, analyzes it quickly and modulates it accordingly, so that movements are smooth and accurate. He decides which muscles should be activated and which should remain stationary. It is also responsible for motor coordination, balance, muscle tension, learning motor behavior (e.g. cycling, skiing), and determines the smoothness and precision of movements. It receives information from the musculoskeletal system, eyes, hearing, feet, the cerebral cortex and the spinal cord. It is also responsible for our emotions and is involved in the learning process. There are billions of cells and their connections in the cerebellum that process thousands of pieces of information within nanoseconds.

Cerebellar syndrome - what is it?

It happens, however, that the cerebellum does not work as well as it should. We are talking then about the so-called cerebellar syndrome. The typical symptoms of this disease are disturbances in gait and balance, ataxia and decreased muscle tone. The sick person staggers, falls backwards, staggers when walking. Damage to the cerebellar hemispheres causes the body movements to become incorrectly coordinated. The patient also has problems with speaking - he speaks much slower, and the spoken words are divided into syllables and incorrectly stressed. Sometimes there is also nystagmus, i.e. rhythmic, independent of our will eye movements in one direction. If the cerebellum is severely damaged, the muscles become flaccid and the nervous reflexes significantly weakened.

Reasonsdiseases of the cerebellum

The main cause of the cerebellar syndrome may be heavy drinking. Then, the body begins to lack vitamin B1, i.e. thiamine, which is extremely important for the proper functioning of the cerebellum. Acute cerebellar syndrome can also be a consequence of poisoning with antiepileptic drugs, it is the result of an injury or the development of an abscess of this organ.

Chronic diseases of the cerebellum

One of them includes Arnold-Chiari syndrome. Although it is a genetic disease, it may not show up until adulthood. Sometimes a strong sneeze is enough to develop symptoms of a cerebellar syndrome with neck pain, dizziness and difficulty swallowing. The reason for this is the so-called drawing a part of the cerebellum into the area of ​​the underlying spinal canal.
Another congenital disease is Friedreich's ataxia. This disease affects not only the cerebellum, but also other parts of the nervous system and the heart. The disease is caused by the lack of an iron-binding protein called frataxin in the mitochondria. The more free iron, the more free radicals that damage cells.
Medicine lists also diseases of the cerebellum leading to its degeneration or atrophy. These include atrophy of the cerebellar cortex, multi-system atrophy, and oligo-pontocerebellar atrophy. All of them lead to loss of coordination, balance and speech disorders. After all, they completely immobilize the sick person. The cerebellum can be damaged in hypothyroidism, multiple sclerosis and cancers that affect this area.

Cerebellar diseases - diagnosis

Magnetic resonance imaging is used to diagnose cerebellar diseases, which allows you to see all fragments of this part of the brain.

Treatment of cerebellar diseases

In treatment, the most important thing is to determine the cause of the disease. If an alcoholic develops cerebellar syndrome, give him vitamin B1 and offer him rehab. In Friedreich's ataxia, antioxidants are used - coenzyme Q10 or vitamin E. In the treatment of Arnold-Charie syndrome, a surgical procedure is performed - decompression of the posterior fossa of the skull, thanks to which the symptoms of the disease disappear.

Important

Cannibals disease

Kuru is the name of a very rare and deadly disease of the cerebellum. In the 1950s and 1960s, the disease escalated among the Fore mountain tribe of New Guinea. As it turned out, it was the result of cannibalism - the relatives of the deceased eating their organs, including the brain. The disease was also spread by rubbing the brain into the skin. After the first symptoms (disturbances in gait, speech, tremors, swaying, nystagmus, immobilization) there was no chance of rescue. After detailed researchKuru has been proven to be one of the diseases caused by prions, or infectious proteins. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and mad cow disease are included in the same group.

Category:

Neurology