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cerebellum
Facts (28)
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The evolution of human-type consciousness – a by-product of ... frontiersin.org 19 facts
referenceBarton and Venditti (2014) published 'Rapid evolution of the cerebellum in humans and other great apes' in Current Biology, volume 24, pages 2440–2444.
claimIn fish, amphibians, and reptiles, the cerebellum and the basal ganglia constitute the highest control level for the animal's behavior.
measurementThe neocortex and cerebellum together occupy approximately 90% of total brain volume and contain about 80% of the brain’s neurons, according to Herculano-Houzel (2010).
claimThe cerebellum's clear directionality serves to overcome neuronal noise by channeling unpredictable activity into a tightly controlled set of commands.
claimThe cerebellum is an evolutionarily ancient brain structure present in all vertebrates, including fish, amphibians, and reptiles.
referenceSuzana Herculano-Houzel published 'Coordinated scaling of cortical and cerebellar numbers of neurons' in Frontiers in Neuroanatomy in 2010, which examines the relationship between neuron counts in the cortex and cerebellum.
referenceSchmahmann (2019) published 'The cerebellum and cognition' in Neuroscience Letters, reviewing the role of the cerebellum in cognitive processes.
claimThe cerebellum continued to grow in size and sophistication alongside the neocortex, and it retained most of its functions, according to Barton and Venditti (2014).
measurementThe neocortex occupies roughly four-fifths of the brain’s volume but contains only about one-fifth of its neurons, while the cerebellum occupies about one-eighth of the brain’s volume and contains two-thirds of its neurons, according to Herculano-Houzel (2010).
referenceThe cerebellum functions as the executive part of the brain, controlling complex motor tasks as well as cognitive, emotional, and autonomous functions, as described by Schmahmann (2019).
claimThe cerebellum yields serial-parallel operation, and the neocortex operates in a reentry mode that yields chaotic results.
referenceThe cerebellum possesses a distinct three-dimensional spatial organization characterized by a crisscross array and regular patterns of connectivity at each dimension, according to Apps and Garwicz (2005).
referenceAmy J. Bastian published 'Learning to predict the future: the cerebellum adapts feedforward movement control' in Current Opinion in Neurobiology, volume 16, pages 645–649.
referenceApps and Garwicz (2005) published 'Anatomical and physiological foundations of cerebellar information processing' in Nature Reviews Neuroscience, volume 6, pages 297–311.
perspectiveThe author proposes a model where subcortical brain structures, specifically the basal ganglia and the cerebellum, control the 'production line' of ongoing environmental interactions, while the neocortex serves the need for innovation, citing Dietrich (2004).
claimOlder brain structures, such as the cerebellum, performed basic cognitive functions like motor control, sensory perception, basic emotions, and decision-making before the neocortex appeared.
claimNeocortical neurons are generally large, branched, and complex, with connectivity that is less constrained and directed than that of the cerebellum, making the neocortex less suited for precise, goal-directed, deterministic control output.
referenceThe cerebellum utilizes 'feed-forward' processing, a pattern characterized by input moving in one direction with minimal reentry and recurrent processing, as noted by Bastian (2006).
claimThe neocortex is characterized by less organization and greater degrees of freedom compared to the highly organized and directionally strict anatomy of the cerebellum.
Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART) frontiersin.org 3 facts
claimThe EES (Enactive-Embodied-Self) network involves neural systems related to preparatory behavior and pre-motor aspects of goal-directed action selection, including the association somatosensory cortices, pulvinar, intraparietal sulcus (IPS), frontal eye fields (FEF), supplementary motor area (SMA), pre-motor area (PMA), cerebellum, dorsal basal ganglia, superior parietal lobe, and ventral lateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC).
referenceThe cerebellum contributes to simple associative learning, while the inferior temporal cortices and dorsal striatum are responsible for conditioning and habitualizing complex sensory-affective-motor scripts and schemas in visuo-spatial contexts, as reported by Buckner and Wheeler (2001).
claimLong-term meditators show morphological increases in gray matter volume and concentration in areas related to the Experiential-Embodied-Self (EES) network, including the cerebellum, left supplementary motor area (SMA), thalamus, caudate, striatum, and parasympathetic control centers of the medulla, according to studies by Pagnoni and Cekic (2007), Luders et al. (2009), and Vestergaard-Poulsen et al. (2009).
Human body systems: Overview, anatomy, functions | Kenhub kenhub.com 2 facts
Is There a Male Brain and a Female Brain? | Child & Family Blog childandfamilyblog.com 1 fact
claimStudies of the pallidum, thalamus, cerebellum, and nucleus accumbens have found no significant sex/gender differences in average size.
Battle of the Brain: Men Vs. Women [Infographic] nm.org 1 fact
claimRecent studies suggest the cerebellum may be slightly different between the sexes and may affect behavior and thinking, in addition to its role in movement coordination.
7 Major Organ Systems: Functions and Connections instituteofhumananatomy.com Nov 23, 2025 1 fact
claimThe cerebellum oversees balance and fine motor skills.
Global Versus Local Theories of Consciousness and the ... link.springer.com 1 fact
claimAccording to Integrated Information Theory (IIT), the cortex possesses the physical features required for integrating information, while the cerebellum does not due to its modular composition.