57 Flashcards
(60 cards)
Why is the cerebellum called a ‘silent area’?
Because electrical stimulation of the cerebellum doesn’t cause movement or sensation, but damage causes uncoordinated, strange movements.
What is the cerebellum’s role in fast, complex movements?
It organizes, controls, and corrects body movements during activities like running, playing the piano, typing, or speaking.
How does the cerebellum help coordinate movement?
That sentence means:
👉 The cerebellum acts like a comparator or quality-control center for movement.
Here’s how:
🧠 Motor areas in the brain (like the motor cortex) send a signal to muscles to make a movement — this is the intended movement.
📡 At the same time, that signal is also sent to the cerebellum (called an efference copy).
🦵 The body starts moving, and sensory receptors (like proprioceptors in muscles and joints) send back information to the brain about what actually happened — this is the actual movement.
🧠 The cerebellum compares:
What was supposed to happen (intended movement)
What really happened (actual movement)
🛠️ If there’s a difference (e.g., you’re reaching too far or too short), the cerebellum sends a correction signal to help fix the movement in real-time.
What are the two types of information the cerebellum receives?
1) From the motor cortex: intended movements. 2) From the body: actual position, movement, and forces.
What happens when there’s a difference between intended and actual movement?
The cerebellum sends fast, automatic correction signals to the motor system to fix the movement immediately.
How does the cerebellum help with smooth movements?
It plans the next movement while the current one is ongoing and learns from mistakes to improve future movements.
What are the three lobes of the cerebellum?
1) Anterior lobe
2) Posterior lobe
3) Flocculonodular lobe
What is special about the flocculonodular lobe?
It is the oldest part of the cerebellum and works with the vestibular system to control balance and body position.
What are the functional zones along the length of the cerebellum?
1) Vermis – controls trunk, neck, shoulder, and hip muscles.
2) Intermediate zone – controls limb muscles.
3) Lateral zone – plans/times complex movements.
What does the vermis control?
Muscles of the trunk, neck, shoulders, and hips.
What does the intermediate zone control?
Limb muscles, especially hands, fingers, feet, and toes.
What does the lateral zone do?
Works with the cerebral cortex to plan and time complex, fast movements.
What body areas do the vermis and intermediate zones map to?
Vermis maps the central body; intermediate zones map limbs and face.
Where do vermis and intermediate zones send and receive signals?
From and to matching body parts, brainstem, motor cortex, red nucleus, and reticular formation.
What inputs do lateral cerebellar areas receive?
From frontal and parietal lobes for planning and sensory processing.
What is the cerebellar cortex?
A thin, folded sheet about 17 cm wide and 120 cm long. Each fold is called a folium.
What lies under the cerebellar cortex?
The deep cerebellar nuclei, which process most output.
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Describe the corticopontocerebellar pathway.
From motor, premotor, and sensory cortex → pontine nuclei → lateral cerebellum on opposite side.
What is the olivocerebellar tract?
From inferior olive to all parts of cerebellum, activated by motor cortex, basal ganglia, spinal cord, and reticular formation.
Vestibulocerebellum – location
Includes the flocculonodular lobes and nearby parts of the vermis; these are small areas under the back of the cerebellum.
Vestibulocerebellum – function
Controls movements that maintain balance. Works closely with the vestibular system of the inner ear.
Spinocerebellum – location
Includes most of the vermis (front and back) and adjacent intermediate zones.
Spinocerebellum – function
Coordinates limb movements, especially of the hands and fingers.
