Definition
The cerebellum is a major subdivision of the hindbrain that is involved in various sensory-motor functions, especially those involving the vestibular and somatosensory systems, and electroreception in certain ray-finned fishes. It has also been reported to play a role in certain cognitive processes.
Characteristics
The cerebellum is a major feature of the vertebrate hindbrain. It varies widely in its shape and in its size relative to other major brain components such as the cerebrum [1,2]. In shape, it most often is roughly spherical, but it also can be a flattened sphere or even a flat plate. Typically, the cerebellum is smaller than the cerebrum; hence its name, which means “little brain” in Latin. In some fishes, however, such as the Mormyrid fishes, which have an exquisitely developed system of electroreception, the cerebellum assumes gigantic proportions and can be as large or larger than the rest of the brain [3]. This may be seen in Fig. 1 which is a simplified cladogram...
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Hodos, W. (2009). Evolution of Cerebellum. In: Binder, M.D., Hirokawa, N., Windhorst, U. (eds) Encyclopedia of Neuroscience. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-29678-2_3124
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