The posterior lobe of cerebellum or neocerebellum, is the portion of the
cerebellum
The cerebellum (Latin for "little brain") is a major feature of the hindbrain of all vertebrates. Although usually smaller than the cerebrum, in some animals such as the mormyrid fishes it may be as large as or even larger. In humans, the cerebe ...
below the
primary fissure. The posterior lobe is much larger than
anterior lobe
The anterior lobe of cerebellum is the portion of the cerebellum responsible for mediating unconscious proprioception. Inputs into the anterior lobe of the cerebellum are mainly from the spinal cord. It is sometimes equated to the "paleocerebellum ...
. The anterior lobe is separated from the posterior lobe by the primary fissure, and the posterolateral fissure separates
flocculonodular lobe
The flocculonodular lobe (vestibulocerebellum) is a lobe of the cerebellum consisting of the nodule and the flocculus. The two flocculi are connected to the midline structure called the nodulus by thin pedicles. It is placed on the anteroinferio ...
from the posterior lobe.
Sometimes, the posterior lobe of cerebellum is called the neocerebellum
since
phylogenetically
In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups ...
it is the newest part of the cerebellum. It plays an important role in
fine motor coordination Motor coordination is the orchestrated movement of multiple body parts as required to accomplish intended actions, like walking. This coordination is achieved by adjusting kinematic and kinetic parameters associated with each body part involved in ...
, specifically in the inhibition of involuntary movement via inhibitory
neurotransmitter
A neurotransmitter is a signaling molecule secreted by a neuron to affect another cell across a synapse. The cell receiving the signal, any main body part or target cell, may be another neuron, but could also be a gland or muscle cell.
Neu ...
s, especially
GABA.
The posterior lobe receives input mainly from the brainstem (i.e.,
reticular formation
The reticular formation is a set of interconnected nuclei that are located throughout the brainstem. It is not anatomically well defined, because it includes neurons located in different parts of the brain. The neurons of the reticular formatio ...
and
inferior olivary nucleus
The inferior olivary nucleus (ION), is a structure found in the medulla oblongata underneath the superior olivary nucleus.Gado, Thomas A. Woolsey; Joseph Hanaway; Mokhtar H. (2003). The brain atlas a visual guide to the human central nervous syst ...
) and cerebral cortex.
It also has activation linked to happiness.
Additional images
File:Posterior lobe of cerebellum -- animation.gif, Animation. Posterior lobe shown in red.
File:Posterior lobe of cerebellum --- animation.gif, Close up animation. Posterior lobe shown in red.
File:Cerebellar lobes by Sanjoy Sanyal.webm, Dissection video (1 min 20 s). Demonstrating the three cerebellar lobes.
Citations
References
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External links
*
Cerebellum
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