What Is the Cerebellar Cortex?

Cerebellar cortex is located in the outer layer of the cerebellum. The cerebellar cortex is divided into 3 layers: the shallowest is the molecular layer, which mainly contains basket cells. Its axons branch out into many collaterals, forming a basket, which surrounds the middle layer of Purcell cells; the middle layer is Purkinje cells. The layer is a series of Purdue cell bodies. The dendrites extend into the molecular layer in the shape of cypress leaves, the axons enter the medulla and stop at the cerebellar nerve nucleus. The deep layer is a granular layer with a large number of granular cells and the dendrites are short. The terminal branches are claw-shaped, the axons enter the molecular layer upwards, and form synapses with the dendrites of Purdue cells. The stroma, pontine, and vestibular cerebellar fibers enter the cerebellar cortex and terminate at Purdue cells. The axons of Purds cells re-enter the central nucleus, and the central nucleus sends out fibers to the cerebellum.

Cerebellar cortex is located in the outer layer of the cerebellum. The cerebellar cortex is divided into 3 layers: the shallowest is the molecular layer, which mainly contains basket cells. Its axons branch out into many collaterals, forming a basket, which surrounds the middle layer of Purcell cells; the middle layer is Purkinje cells. The layer is a series of Purdue cell bodies. The dendrites extend into the molecular layer in the shape of cypress leaves, the axons enter the medulla and stop at the cerebellar nerve nucleus; the deep layer is a granular layer with a large number of granular cells, and the dendrites are short. The terminal branches are claw-shaped, the axons enter the molecular layer upwards, and form synapses with the dendrites of Purdue cells. The stroma, pontine, and vestibular cerebellar fibers enter the cerebellar cortex and terminate at Purdue cells. The axons of Purds cells re-enter the central nucleus, and the central nucleus sends out fibers to the cerebellum.

Chinese name

Cerebellar cortex

Foreign name

cerebellar cortex

Morphological structure of cerebellar cortex:

The total area of the cerebellar cortex is about 1,000 square centimeters, and only 1/6 of the surface is exposed. The structure of the cerebellar cortex is roughly the same in all sections. The cortex is covered on the surface in the vertical section of the long axis of the leaf. The white matter is located in the center of the leaf and consists of parallel nerve fibers that extend to the cerebellar medullary body. The cerebellar cortex can be divided into three distinct layers, from the superficial layer-molecular layer, the middle layer-Purkinje cell layer, to the deepest granular layer.

1. Molecular layer:

The molecular layer is the thickest layer and is mainly composed of branches of Purkinje cells and granulocyte axons. Located in the deep is a basket cell. It has short thick dendrites and a special axon, parallel to the cortical surface. Several side branches emerge from the axon. Each side branch towards the Purkinje cell body. Its end Repeated branching, forming a basket-like shape surrounding the Purkinje cell body.

2. Purkinje cell layer:

The Purkinje cell layer is pear-shaped or flask-shaped, and is a large multipolar cell with more than 15 million Purkinje cells in the cerebellar cortex. It has 1 to 3 thick and smooth dendrites that extend into the molecular layer. These dendrites branch repeatedly to form a branch of the cypress tree; its axons are not far from the cell body, are immediately wrapped by the myelin sheath, pass through the granular layer and enter the white matter. Most of the ends finally reach the central nucleus of the cerebellum. Since only the axons of Purkinje cells enter the white matter, all impulses entering the cerebellum are concentrated in the cells and then reach the cerebellar efferent path.

3. Granular layer:

The granular layer is a multipolar small neuron. This type of cell is called a granulocyte, with a large number of about 3 to 7 million per cubic millimeter, a diameter of about 4 to 8 microns, and 3 to 5 shorter ones. The dendrites form claw-like tips at the ends, and form filamentous structures together with mossy fiber tips and Golgi type II cell axons, called cerebellar islands. Each granulocyte has a myelinated axon that extends deep into the molecular layer to form a "T" -shaped branch that passes through the dendrites of the Purkinje cells and forms dendrites with about 500 Purkinje cells touch.

Cerebellar cortical anatomy:

Cerebellum:

The cerebellum is an unpaired structure. The human cerebellum is the largest part of the hindbrain, located in the posterior cranial fossa, under the occipital lobe of the two hemispheres of the brain, the pons and the dorsal side of the medulla. The upper part of the cerebellum is flat, and the lower part is raised and convex. The narrowed part in the middle is the vermiform part. There are many parallel grooves on the surface of the cerebellum, which divides the cerebellum into several leaves. The surface of the cerebellum is covered with a layer of gray matter called the cerebellar cortex; the inside of the cerebellum is called white matter and the cerebellar medulla. There is a gray matter group in the medulla, called the central cerebellum nucleus. According to function, the cerebellum is divided into anterior lobe, posterior lobe and pompom nodules.

The cerebellum is connected to the brain stem by three pairs of cerebellar feet. The cerebellum's lower foot (rope) is composed of fibers from the spinal cord and medulla that enter the cerebellum. (Combined arm) is mainly composed of telecentric fibers emitted from the central nucleus of the cerebellum, which is mainly finally the red nucleus and the lateral thalamus nucleus.

Cerebellar function is quite complex. The main function is that the organism participates in the mutual action between the prime mover and the antagonist muscle in static or dynamic movement, so as to maintain the balance of the body; regulate the tension of the muscles and coordinate the movement of the muscles, mainly Coordinate the free movement of the body. If the cerebellum is damaged, the patient's balance is imbalanced, his body is unstable when standing, he is staggering on foot, and there is a tendency to fall. In addition, the cerebellum also has a certain effect on the function of the internal organs. If the cerebellum is stimulated, a series of sympathetic nerve excitation phenomena can occur, such as dilated pupils, increased blood pressure, and fatigued muscles' ability to work.