When we think about the inside of the head, we usually directly imagine a brain. With its gray structure with lobes, and its somewhat amorphous mass. The brain, however, is nothing more than another part of the brain, which is considered the most important organ in the body.
Today we explain what one of its parts consists of: the cerebellum. We will see what its physiological functions are, its anatomical location, why it is so important for our body, and finally we will do a review of curiosities about the cerebellum
One of the curiosities about the cerebellum is its location. The cerebellum, as we have already seen, is a part of the brain. The brain consists of five parts: cerebrum, cerebellum, midbrain, pons, and medulla oblongata. The brain, then, is an organ of nervous mass contained within the skull.
This organ in turn is surrounded by the meninges, which are three membranes called, from outside to inside: dura mater, arachnoid mater and pia mater. These membranes are made up of connective tissue that cover the entire central nervous system, providing soft protection, below the hard protection of the bone structures.
The cerebellum is located at the back of the brain and is made up of nervous tissue Its basic and quintessential function is to take care of muscle coordination and involuntary movements.
This processes information that comes from other areas of the brain, the spinal cord and sensory receptors. Once the information is processed, it is translated into an indication of the exact time to perform coordinated movements of the skeletal muscular system.
This organ measures approximately 10 cm wide and 5 cm high and weighs about 150-160 grams (considering an adult cerebellum), and is involved in practically all skeletal muscle movements. Here we will see some curiosities about the cerebellum that show how it works, what it is like and some facts about how it has been studied.
1. Origin of the name
The word “cerebellum” comes from Latin and its literal meaning is “small brain.” This name is perfect since the size of the cerebellum compared to that of the brain is much smaller (the cerebellum is 10% of the brain in terms of size).
There are references that associate the creation of the term to Leonardo Da Vinci – who carried out advanced studies in neurology – for the first time in 1504.
2. Functions
The cerebellum is involved in a series of actions, from basic to complex, such as the action of driving, passing an object, throwing a ball, crossing a bridge or playing an instrument. The cerebellum allows the body to move smoothly, maintain a state of balance coordinating eye movements, motor learning (for example riding a horse) and other similar functions.
It was during the 19th century when research and experiments began in France with this part of the brain. One of the first discoveries to come to light was that surgical removal of the cerebellum produced disorders of movement and muscular coordination.
Besides, It is known that the cerebellum is involved in the regulation of emotions and cognitive processes It is responsible for relating emotional states with lived experiences, maintaining those sensations over time. On the other hand, it intervenes in the learning process of these emotions.
The cerebellum has also been related to connections between other areas of the cerebral cortex and, therefore, with cognitive processes such as memory. There have even been studies that relate the size of the cerebellum to a person’s intelligence.
3. Diseases of the cerebellum
Other curiosities about the cerebellum are its diseases. It is known that the most common symptoms of a mild cerebellar disorder They are: lack of muscle control and coordination, difficulty walking or walking, unusual eye movements, and cephalalgias (typical headaches).
On the other hand, and since it was evident that the cerebellum was involved in movement, diseases that could affect this organ began to be studied. Thus, it was seen that most of the important diseases derived from some affectation of the cerebellum were related to movement, although cerebral hemorrhages, strokes, genetic malformations or tumors of the cerebellum were also considered.
3.1. Ataxia
Ataxia consists of the loss of muscle coordination and control resulting from a problem with the cerebellum ; In this case what happens is that parts of the cerebellum (nervous system) that control movement have been damaged. Ataxia can be reversible when the cause is treated and in other cases, it can disappear on its own.
The causes of damage to the cerebellum (nervous system) are several: exposure to toxins (alcoholic beverages, certain medications, heavy metals such as mercury and lead, solvents such as those used in paint…), exposure to viruses such as chicken pox or HIV or strokes.
3.2. Hypotonia
Hypotonia consists of the decrease in muscle tone and its consequent limp and flaccid state This condition in itself is not excessively worrying – unless it concerns babies or small children – but it is often the symptom of another underlying illness.
Cerebellar-type tremors are caused by injuries to the cerebellum and involve spasms and involuntary movements. Its severity depends on the frequency of spasms, the amplitude of involuntary movements, the intensity and speed of appearance of these symptoms.
4. Your concentration of neurons is high
More curiosities about the cerebellum are as follows. It is known that in the cerebellum there are approximately 50% of all neurons present in the brain This is really curious because the size of the cerebellum compared to the brain is 10%.
5. There are cases of people without a cerebellum
After this detailed description of the functions of the cerebellum, it is difficult to believe that a human being can live without this organ. However, there are studies that document the existence of people who were born without a cerebellum.
It’s more, There are almost a few cases of adults without a cerebellum registered in the world , that is, they were born without a cerebellum and did not die of premature death. This phenomenon reveals the survival and adaptive plastic capacity of the human brain to the environment that surrounds it.
How to maintain a healthy cerebellum
Maintaining good health in the body is key to enjoying quality of life. And with this, taking care of our head and a healthy cerebellum is intrinsic.
For example, avoid the risk of cardiovascular accidents by stopping smoking and practicing physical exercise, limit alcohol consumption (it damages the cerebellum), protect the head on a physical level (and even more so if we are exposed to accidents) or avoid handling lead (since it can chronically poison the cerebellum).
