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Cerebellum: anatomy, location and function

The cerebellum is the large structure at the back of the brain that coordinates movement, posture and balance and takes part in motor learning. It compares intended with actual movement and refines it, giving smooth, accurate and well-timed motor actions. It also contributes to balance and eye-movement control, and has roles in some cognitive functions.

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Highlighted in the model: Cerebellum. Click any part to read about it, or switch off “Highlight topic” to see the whole body. 3D data: BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0; meshes simplified and recoloured. The model is an adult male.

Cerebellum at a glance

What it is
The cerebellum is the large structure at the back of the brain that coordinates movement, posture and balance and takes part in motor learning.
Location
It lies in the posterior cranial fossa, beneath the tentorium cerebelli and behind the pons and medulla, to which it is joined by three pairs of peduncles.
Function
It compares intended with actual movement and refines it, giving smooth, accurate and well-timed motor actions. It also contributes to balance and eye-movement control, and has roles in some cognitive functions.
Body system
Nervous · single, midline structure
FMA ID
FMA67944 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)

Key facts

  • Consists of two hemispheres joined by the vermis.
  • Connected to the brainstem by superior, middle and inferior cerebellar peduncles.
  • Purkinje cells are the only output neurons of the cerebellar cortex; they project to the deep cerebellar nuclei.
  • Its deep nuclei, from lateral to medial, are the dentate, emboliform, globose and fastigial nuclei.

Clinical relevance

Cerebellar lesions cause ipsilateral ataxia, intention tremor, dysmetria and nystagmus.

Structures next to the cerebellum

The nearest named structures in the 3D model, measured from the centre of each part:

References

  1. Foundational Model of Anatomy: Cerebellum (FMA67944). EMBL-EBI Ontology Lookup Service.
  2. OpenStax. Anatomy and Physiology 2e, §12.1 Basic Structure and Function of the Nervous System. Rice University, 2022.
  3. Mitsuhashi N. et al. (2009). BodyParts3D: 3D structure database for anatomical concepts. Nucleic Acids Research 37, D782–D785. Data © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0.

Related anatomy

Explore the whole body in the interactive 3D human anatomy model, or browse the A–Z list of human structures.