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1. Glossary

Cerebellar hemispheres

Like the cerebrum, the cerebellum also has two hemispheres. The hemispheres are primarily responsible for finely tuned, purposeful movement control.

1. Glossary

Cerebellar nuclei

A group of four paired nuclei located in the white matter of the cerebellum: the dentate nucleus, emboliform nucleus, globose nucleus, and fastigial nucleus. Functionally, the cerebellar nuclei are associated with motor tasks.

1. Glossary

Climbing fiber

Climbing fibers are the axons (long fiber-like extensions of nerve cells) of neurons in the inferior olive nucleus of the brain stem. They extend into the cerebellum and "climb" along the Purkinje cells, with which they form synaptic connections.

1. Glossary

Flocculonodular lobe

The flocculonodular lobe is an antero-inferior region of the cerebellum. It comprises two structures, the nodulus (nodule) and the flocculus (flocculus). It is involved in balance and spatial orientation, as well as in stabilizing and controlling eye movements. It corresponds to the vestibulocerebellum.

1. Glossary

Mossy fiber

Mossy fibers are nerve fibers that conduct impulses from the spinal cord and the pontine nuclei to the cerebellum. There they terminate in the granule cell layer. The axons of the granule cells of the dentate gyrus in the hippocampus, which extend to CA3, are also referred to as mossy fibers.

1. Glossary

Ventrolateral nuclei

The lower lateral nucleus group of the thalamus is responsible for motor function (movement). It receives inputs from the cerebellum and basal ganglia and has outputs to motor and premotor areas of the cerebral cortex.

1. Glossary

Occipital lobe

One of the four large lobes of the cerebral cortex. The occipital lobe lies above the cerebellum. It borders the parietal and temporal lobes at the front. The calcarine sulcus divides the occipital lobe into an upper and lower half, the cuneus and the lingual gyrus. Functionally, this area of the brain is responsible for the central processing of visual information – both the primary and secondary visual cortex are located in the occipital lobe.

1. Glossary

Olivary bodies

The olivary bodies are two oval structures in the lower part of the brain stem that contain clusters of nerve cell bodies. The lower olive connects the cerebrum to the cerebellum and plays an important role in controlling motor function. The upper olive is part of the auditory pathway. Its neurons can evaluate differences in transit time and level between the right and left ears, thus helping to determine the direction of sound sources.

1. Glossary

Pons

Area in the brain stem between the medulla oblongata and the mesencephalon. It acts as a switching station for many nerve pathways between the brain and spinal cord and contains numerous nuclei, including cranial nerves and those involved in controlling motor function in cooperation with the cerebellum.

1. Glossary

Spinocerebellum

The area of the cerebellum that includes the cerebellar vermis and its adjacent areas. Involved in muscle tone and walking movements.