Cerebellum and Basal Ganglia Overview

These flashcards cover key terms and concepts related to the cerebellum and basal ganglia, focusing on their structures, functions, and interconnections.

Cerebellum

A brain structure involved in the control of smooth and accurate movements, hand-eye coordination, and posture

Function of Cerebellum

Involved in the control of coordination, balance, gait, muscle tone, and error detection in movement.

Clumsy movement

What results from dysfunction of the cerebellum

Muscle tone

Unconscious firing of muscles

• responsible for contracting muscle that is optimal for the activity at hand

Cerebellum

What serves as a type of movement error detection and correction system

Cerebellum

What is involved in the learning of all motor skills

Lobes of the cerebellum

Consists of three lobes: anterior, posterior, and flocculonodular.

Posterolateral fissure

What separates the flocculonodular lobe from the other lobes

Primary fissure

What separates the anterior lobe from the posterior lobe

Vermis and paravermis

Vertical sections of the cerebellum

Cerebellar Peduncles

Three axons connecting the cerebellum with the brainstem: superior, middle, and inferior.

Superior peduncle

What cere. Lobe projects motor info to thalamus then to cortex?

Middle peduncle

What peduncle receives motor info?

Inferior peduncle

What receives sens. Info from S.C, Vestibular apparatus, and inferior olivary nucleus

Vestibulocerebellum

Region of the cerebellum involved in equilibrium and gross limb movements.

The floccunodular lobe

The Vestibulocerebellum region originates from where?

The vestibular apparatus

The vestibulocerebellum region communicates with what

Vestibulospinal tract

The vestibulocerebellum region is involved with what tracts

Spinocerebellum

Region that coordinates proximal limb movements

• Receives input from proprioceptors and vestibular nuclei

The anterior lobe and the vermis

The spinocerebellum region originates from where?

Spinocerebellar, vestibulospinal, reticulospinal, and corticospinal tracts

The spinocerebellum region is involved with what tracts

Cerebrocerebellum

Region that coordinates distal limb movements and speech muscle

• Main structure for movement accuracy.

The lateral and posterior lobe

The cerebrocerebellum region originates from what?

The PMC and association areas

The cerebrocerebellum region communicates with what?

Internal feedback tracts, and high-fidelity pathways

Spinocerebellar pathways

Internal feedback tracts

Monitors cortex, brain stem, and S.C. Info

Anterior Spinocerebellar and Rostrospinocerebellar tracts

What are the internal feedback tracts

Anterior Spinocerebellar Tract

Projects automatic coordination of the bilateral legs

Rostrospincerebellar tract

Projects ipsilaateral info from the cervical region to T-1

Posterior Spinocerebellar, Cuneocerebellar pathways

High-Fidelity pathways

High-Fidelity Pathways

Recieves input

Posterior Spinocerebellar pathway

Recieves input from ipsilateral lower extremities and the trunk

Cuneocerebellar

Recieves input from the neck, upper extremities, and upper trunk ipsilaterally

postural, ambulatory, and reaching/grasping

Three types of major movement

Postural control

Provides orientation and balance

Orientation

The adjustment of the body and head to vertical

Balance

The ability to maintain the center of mass relative to the base of support

Postural control

Achieved by central commands to the lower motor neurons

Somatosensation, Vision, and Vestibular

Three sense to help orient the world

Somatosensation

Gives info regarding weight baring, and bodies/body parts position in space

Vision

What we are seeing

Vestibular

Info regarding head position in terms of the body position

Ambulation

Walking

Cerebral cortex

Provides goal orientation and control of ankle movements

Basal Ganglia

Governs the generation of force to walk

Cerebellum

Provides timing, coordination, and error correction when walking

Grasping

Coordinated with activity of the eyes, head, proximal limb, and trunk

Indicates feed-forward control

When the object is contacted grip force adjusts quickly

Basal Ganglia

A subcortical structure consisting of nuclei that play key roles in movement coordination and regulation.

Basal Ganglia

Coordinates movement of axial/appendicular skeleton

Main Nuclei of Basal Ganglia

Includes the caudate nucleus, putamen, globus pallidus, and substantia nigra.

Substantia Nigra

Site of dopamine production

Glutamate

Excites the cortex

Dopamine

Projects to the striatum

• Excites but is involved in inhibition in terms of the output from the B.G.

Acetylcholine

Acts as an dopamine opposition

GABA

Communicates with the B.G. In terms of inhibition

Hyper direct, direct, and indirect pathways

Three pathways of cortical projection

Hyper direct

Responsibility is to inhibit competing neural info

Direct Pathway in Basal Ganglia

Pathway that facilitates correct movement by providing excitatory signals to the motor cortex.

Indirect Pathway in Basal Ganglia

Pathway that inhibits unwanted movements through inhibitory signals.

Basal Ganglia Functions

Involves motor control, emotion, cognition, and learning, facilitated through various functional loops.

Output of the B.G. Motor circuit

Regulates muscle contraction, muscle force, multi-joint movements and the sequence of movements

Postural and girdle muscles

• via lateral reticulospinal neurons

Stimulation of the Pedunculopontine nucleus regulates contraction of what

Rhythmical lower limb movement

• Similar to walking or running

Stimulation of the midbrain locomotor regions elicits what

Pedunculopontine nucleus

Responsible for motor neurons that got to postural and girdle muscles

Motor, Executive, Behavioral, Limbic, and Oculomotor

Functional loops that connect the B.G. To the cerebrum and thalamus

Executive loop

Goal-directed behavior

Behavioral loop

Social output

Limbic loop

Emotional output

Motor and premotor cortex

Motor loop

• Cerebral cortex

Putamen, globes pallidus

Motor loop

• Basal ganglia

Ventral lateral

Motor loop

• Thalamic nuclei

Dorsolateral prefrontal cortex

Executive loop

• Cerebral cortex

Head of caudate, globes pallidus

Executive loop

• Basal ganglia

Ventral anterior

Executive loop

• Thalamic nuclei

Ventrolateral prefrontal and lateral orbital cortex

Behavior flexibility and control loop

• Cerebral cortex

Head of caudate, substantia nigra reticularis

Behavior flexibility and control loop

• Basal ganglia

Mediodorsal

Behavior flexibility and control loop

• Thalamic nuclei

Medial orbital and medial prefrontal cortex

Limbic loop

• Cerebral cortex

Ventral striatum, ventral pallidum

Limbic loop

• Basal ganglia

Mediodorsal

Limbic loop

• Thalamic nuclei