Written by Bedirhan Atabay
Our brain consists of 3 parts: Cerebrum, Cerebellum and Brainstem. These three are strongly connected to each other. Today, our essay will be about Cerebrum and Cerebellum. Even though they are sometimes misunderstood as the same thing, they are actually pretty different from each other. If you are ready, lets dig into it:
In the first part, we will explain the Cerebrum. The cerebrum is the largest of the 3 parts of our brain (2). Even though it is the biggest part of them, most of the neurons are not located there, however, they are located in a far smaller part, Cerebellum. The cerebrum has another name: Telencephalon (2). The cerebrum is divided into 5 lobes: Parietal Lobe, Occipital Lobe, Frontal Lobe, Temporal Lobe, and Insular Cortex. The parietal Lobe is located above the Occipital and Temporal Lobes and behind the Frontal Lobe (2). The parietal lobe has functions such as management of sensations, coordinating motions, and processing languages (3). Occipital Lobe has functions such as visualizing the outside world, estimating depth, size, and distance, and visualizing colors (4). The frontal lobe has functions such as thinking, planning, and recording short-term memories (5). Temporal Lobe has functions such as memorizing somebody’s face, memorizing objects, and understanding languages (6). And last but not least, the insular Cortex has functions such as making decisions, motor control, and sensory processing (7).
These lobes are not truly separated from each other; however, scientists separated them. The cerebrum has 2 hemispheres: The left hemisphere and the right hemisphere.
The left hemisphere is responsible for logical and analytical skills; meanwhile, the right hemisphere is responsible for creativity and imagination (1).The cerebrum actively works together with other parts of our body, especially the Cerebellum, to ensure requirements. The cerebrum has an outer surface named as Cerebral Cortex. The Cerebral Cortex is smooth and has wrinkles (8). Gaps of the Cerebral Cortex are called “Sulci” and bumps of the Cerebral Cortex are called “Gyri” (8). The Cerebral Cortex has another name: Gray Matter. The Cerebral Cortex is involved in memory, emotions, thoughts, etc (8).
Thalamus is a part of the Cerebrum. It is known for its sensory relay in visualizing, hearing, etc. it also significantly helps with memorizing, emotions, motor activity, etc (2). Hypothalamus is also a part of the Cerebrum. Hypothalamus receives chemical messages from nerve cells. Hypothalamus reacts to those messages to keep the body functioning (2).
Hippocampus is the last part of the Cerebrum that we will mention today. Hippocampus is located inside the Temporal Lobe (6). It has an important job: It plays a critical role in the formation, organization, and storage of new memories (6). It helps us to remember our forgotten memories. It is very important for our memory.
After our explanation about Cerebrum, let me explain Cerebrum and its features. For starters, an average adult has a cerebellum about 11,5 centimeters long and 136 to 169 grams weight (2). Even though it only has %10 percent of the mass of our brain, half of our neuron population exists in the Cerebellum (2). Cerebellum has two parts just like Cerebrum.
Most important function of our Cerebellum is that it regulates our movement ability.
Cerebellum takes signal about movement from Cerebral Cortex and then, it teleports signal to the muscles (1). Cerebellum gives us so many abilities such as vision, balance, and motor learning. If our Cerebellum has problems coordinating movement with our Cerebellum, then diseases such as brain bleeds, strokes, ataxia, vertigo etc. can happen (1).
As I mentioned the diseases which happen when we injure our Cerebellum, one of them was Cerebral Ataxia (1). Cerebral Ataxia was first discovered by Pierre Marie in 1893. Cerebral Ataxia causes a failure of muscle coordination or an awkwardness of movement. Cerebral ataxia can be genetic or acquired. Genetical Cerebral Ataxia can be present in birth. The ones which have this disease genetically should have one or two defective genes. Meanwhile, acquired ones mostly happen due to strokes, certain diseases or tumors. One of the most common forms of this disease is Fredricson Ataxia, which happens because of mutations in the FXN gene.
To reduce the possibilities of those diseases happening, we can take some precautions such as quitting smoking, quitting/limiting alcohol usage, or protecting our head from injuries.
Cerebellum has 3 functional divisions: Cerebrocellum, Vestibulocerebellum, and Spinocerebellum. Cerebrocellum is the largest of the functional divisions. Cerebrocellum is the part where we plan our movement (1). Motor learning happens in Cerebrocerebellum. It standardized coordination of our muscles (1). Vestibulocerebellum receives input from the Vestibular System and sends those inputs back to the Vestibular Nuclei. It helps to control ocular reflexes and balance (1). Spinocerebrum helps to regulate our movement. It receives proprioceptive information. Cerebellum receives its blood supply from three arteries: AICA, SCA and PCA (1).
The Cerebellum was discovered thousands of years ago, and Roman physician Galen gave the first inscriptions of the Cerebellum. However, professional research about Cerebellum started in the early 19th century.
References:
Cerebellum: What it is, function & anatomy. (n.d.). Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/23418-cerebellum.
Cerebrum. (n.d.). Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/science/cerebrum.
SpinalCord.com. (n.d.). Parietal lobe: Function, location, and structure. Spinal Cord Injury & Brain Injury Resources, Talk to Experts you Trust. https://www.spinalcord.com/parietal-lobe.
Brain map: Occipital lobes. (2022, June 12). Queensland Health. https://www.health.qld.gov.au/abios/asp/boccipital#:~:text=The%20occipital%20lobes%20sit%20at,with%20identifying%20colours%20(Colour%20Agnosia).
Brain map frontal lobes. (2022, July 12). Queensland Health. https://www.health.qld.gov.au/abios/asp/bfrontal.
Brain map: Temporal lobes. (2022, July 12). Queensland Health. https://www.health.qld.gov.au/abios/asp/btemporal_lobes.
Insular cortex - StatPearls - NCBI bookshelf. (2022, May 8). National Center for Biotechnology Information. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK570606/.
Cerebral cortex: What it is, function & location. (n.d.). Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/23073-cerebral-cortex.
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