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Motor Systems III: The Cerebellum Movement and Major Fiber Pathways of the Cerebellum

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Abstract

The role of the cerebellum is to integrate the sensory input from the periphery to provide smooth coordinated voluntary movements. It is a laminated cortical region with four deep nuclei (dentate, fastifigial, emboliform, and interpositus) and is attached to the brain stem by three peduncles- the superior, middle and inferior cerebellar peduncles. Superior cerebellar peduncle (brachium conjunctivum) is primarily efferent and projects via the dentate, fastigial, and interpositus nucleus to the red nucleus of the midbrain and onto thalamic motor nuclei which then project onto cerebrum. The middle cerebellar peduncle (brachium pontis) is the largest cerebellar peduncle and receives input primarily from the contralateral cerebrum via deep pontine nuclei whose fibers then project onto the neocerebellum. The inferior cerebellar peduncle provides sensory input via climbing fibers from the inferior olivary nucleus of the medulla and proprioceptive mossy fibers from the spinocerebellar tract and lateral cuneate nucleus and projects onto the paleocerebellum. The juxtarestiform body lies next to the inferior cerebellar peduncle and carries ipsilateral input from the vestibular nuclei onto the flocculonodular lobe of the archicerebellum and midline vermis which are important in posture and movements.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    However, the mossy fibers from the pontine and brain stem reticular nuclei apparently do not serve this collateral excitatory function.

  2. 2.

    Medulloblastomas may occasionally occur in adolescents and young adults.

  3. 3.

    Progressive multiple sclerosis may produce in the young or middle-aged adult severe involvement of white matter in the cerebellum and brain stem, resulting in severe truncal ataxia, in which the patient is ataxic in both the sitting and standing positions. Such cases almost always also manifest severe appendicular involvement, that is, the cerebellar syndrome is not selective.

  4. 4.

    In general chronic lesions of cerebellum in humans do not alter tone or tendon reflexes. Acute lesions of cerebellum resulting from hemorrhage or surgery may produce transient hypotonia (Diener and Dichgans 1992).

  5. 5.

    *As of April 2016, the number of identified loci has grown to 17. SCA 17 involves a CAG trinucleotide expansion.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Boston, MA, USA

    Stanley Jacobson

  2. Jamaica Plain, MA, USA

    Elliott M. Marcus

  3. South Abington Twp., PA, USA

    Stanley Pugsley

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Jacobson, S., Marcus, E.M., Pugsley, S. (2018). Motor Systems III: The Cerebellum Movement and Major Fiber Pathways of the Cerebellum. In: Neuroanatomy for the Neuroscientist. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60187-8_13

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