Answer
The cerebellum is the second largest part of the brain (after the cerebrum). It is located in the hindbrain with its right and left hemispheres connected by the vermis. Each hemisphere displays a series of neural folds ( folia) which are separated by shallow grooves. Structurally, the cerebellum may be divided into the gray matter of the cerebellar cortex, and the deeper white matter with its treelike branches(arbor vitae). Also, there are four masses of gray matter embedded deep in the white matter in each cerebral hemisphere. These are called the deep nuclei of the cerebellum In humans, these are the dentate, the interposed ((emboliform+globose), and the fastigial. All inputs to the cerebellum go to the cortex ; all cerebellar output signals are generated in the deep nuclei.
The cerebellum has an unusually large number of neurons-- about 50% of all the neurons in the brain.
The cortex has layers of stellate cells, Purkinje fibers, granule cells, and mossy fibers: the granule cells which are tiny and closely packed, are the most numerous neurons in the brain, The Purkinje fibers are very large with numerous dendrites
There are three pairs of peduncles -- bundles of nerve fibers-- that connect the cerebellum to the brainstem. These are the superior peduncles, the middle peduncles, and the inferior peduncles.
The tracts of the inferior peduncles are the dorsal spinocerebellar, the olivocerebellar, the cuneocerebellar and the vestibulocerebellar. The middle peduncles contain the pontocerebellar fibers; the superior peduncles comprise the ventral cerebellar and the dentatothalamic tracts
The superior peduncles link the cerebrum with the brainstem; the middle peduncles connect the cerebellum and the pons, and the inferior peduncles carry signals between the cerebellum and the medulla oblongata.
Work Step by Step
Inputs ; Most neural signals from the spinal cord enter the cerebellum by way of the inferior peduncles. Most of the input from the rest of the CNS reaches the cerebellum through the middle peduncles. In general. cerebellar output leaves through the superior cerebellar peduncles.
It is known that the cerebellum monitors, and coordinates muscular movements. It also evaluates some kinds of sensory input: it it facilitates spatial differentiation through integration of tactile signals from receptors in fingers and toes. In addition it acts as a timekeeper that enables the the judgment of time elapsed between consecutive neural signals. Some other functions associated with the cerebellum include visual tracking and fixing of moving objects; scheduling and planning; language output; differentiation between pitch of tones, and impulse control.
