The inferior cerebellar peduncle is formed by fibers of the restiform body that join with fibers from the much smaller juxtarestiform body. The inferior cerebellar peduncle is the smallest of the three

cerebellar peduncle The cerebellar peduncles are three paired bundles of Axon, fibres that connect the cerebellum to the brain stem. * Superior cerebellar peduncle is a paired structure of white matter that connects the cerebellum to the mid-brain. * Middle cereb ...

s. The upper part of the posterior district of the

medulla oblongata The medulla oblongata or simply medulla is a long stem-like structure which makes up the lower part of the brainstem. It is anterior and partially inferior to the cerebellum. It is a cone-shaped neuronal mass responsible for autonomic (involun ...

is occupied by the inferior cerebellar peduncle, a thick rope-like strand situated between the lower part of the

fourth ventricle The fourth ventricle is one of the four connected fluid-filled cavities within the human brain. These cavities, known collectively as the ventricular system, consist of the left and right lateral ventricles, the third ventricle, and the fourth ...

and the roots of the

glossopharyngeal The glossopharyngeal nerve (), also known as the ninth cranial nerve, cranial nerve IX, or simply CN IX, is a cranial nerve that exits the brainstem from the sides of the upper Medulla oblongata, medulla, just anterior (closer to the nose) to t ...

and

vagus nerve The vagus nerve, also known as the tenth cranial nerve (CN X), plays a crucial role in the autonomic nervous system, which is responsible for regulating involuntary functions within the human body. This nerve carries both sensory and motor fibe ...

s. Each cerebellar inferior peduncle connects the

spinal cord The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular structure made up of nervous tissue that extends from the medulla oblongata in the lower brainstem to the lumbar region of the vertebral column (backbone) of vertebrate animals. The center of the spinal c ...

and medulla oblongata with the

cerebellum The cerebellum (: cerebella or cerebellums; 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 it or eve ...

, and comprises the juxtarestiform body and restiform body. Important fibers running through the inferior cerebellar peduncle include the

dorsal spinocerebellar tract The spinocerebellar tracts are nerve tracts originating in the spinal cord and terminating in the same side ( ipsilateral) of the cerebellum. The two main tracts are the dorsal spinocerebellar tract, and the ventral spinocerebellar tract. Both of ...

and axons from the

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 syste ...

, among others.

Function

The inferior cerebellar peduncle carries many types of input and output fibers that are mainly concerned with integrating

proprioceptive Proprioception ( ) is the sense of self-movement, force, and body position. Proprioception is mediated by proprioceptors, a type of sensory receptor, located within muscles, tendons, and joints. Most animals possess multiple subtypes of propri ...

sensory input with motor vestibular functions such as

balance Balance may refer to: Common meanings * Balance (ability) in biomechanics * Balance (accounting) * Balance or weighing scale * Balance, as in equality (mathematics) or equilibrium Arts and entertainment Film * Balance (1983 film), ''Balance'' ( ...

and

posture Posture or posturing may refer to: Medicine * List of human positions ** Abnormal posturing, in neurotrauma **Spinal posture * Posturography, in neurology Other uses * Posture (psychology) * Political posturing Political posturing, also known a ...

maintenance. It consists of fibers from the four spinocerebellar tracts that enter the cerebellum: * Posterior spinocerebellar tract: unconscious

information from the lower part of trunk and lower limb. This tract originates at the ipsilateral Clarke's nucleus (T1-L1) and travels upward to reach the inferior cerebellar peduncle and synapses within the

spinocerebellum The anatomy of the cerebellum can be viewed at three levels. At the level of gross anatomy, the cerebellum consists of a tightly folded and crumpled layer of Cerebellar cortex, cortex, with white matter underneath, several deep nuclei embedded i ...

(also known as the paleocerebellum). *

Cuneocerebellar tract The spinocerebellar tracts are nerve tracts originating in the spinal cord and terminating in the same side (ipsilateral) of the cerebellum. The two main tracts are the dorsal spinocerebellar tract, and the ventral spinocerebellar tract. Both of ...

: unconscious proprioceptive information from the upper limb and neck. This tract originates at the ipsilateral accessory cuneate nucleus and travels through the inferior cerebellar peduncle to reach the spinocerebellum part of the cerebellum. * Trigeminocerebellar tract: unconscious proprioceptive information from the face. *

Olivocerebellar tract The olivocerebellar tract, also known as olivocerebellar fibers, are neural fibers which originate at the olivary nucleus and pass out through the hilum and decussate with those from the opposite olive in the raphe nucleus, then as internal arcu ...

: "error signal" in movement originates from the cerebral cortex and spinal cord. This tract originates at contralateral inferior olivary nucleus and enters the cerebellum as a

climbing fiber Climbing fibers are the name given to a series of neuronal projections from the inferior olivary nucleus located in the medulla oblongata. These axons pass through the pons and enter the cerebellum via the inferior cerebellar peduncle wher ...

. * Vestibulocerebellar tract: vestibular information projects onto the vestibulocerebellum (also known as the archicerebellum). This peduncle also carries information leaving cerebellum: from the

Purkinje cells Purkinje cells or Purkinje neurons, named for Czech physiologist Jan Evangelista Purkyně who identified them in 1837, are a unique type of prominent, large neuron located in the cerebellar cortex of the brain. With their flask-shaped cell bo ...

to the vestibular nuclei in the dorsal

brainstem The brainstem (or brain stem) is the posterior stalk-like part of the brain that connects the cerebrum with the spinal cord. In the human brain the brainstem is composed of the midbrain, the pons, and the medulla oblongata. The midbrain is conti ...

located at the junction between the

pons The pons (from Latin , "bridge") is part of the brainstem that in humans and other mammals, lies inferior to the midbrain, superior to the medulla oblongata and anterior to the cerebellum. The pons is also called the pons Varolii ("bridge of ...

and

Additional images

File:Gray691.png, Dissection of brain-stem. Dorsal view. File:Gray699.png, Diagram showing the course of the arcuate fibers. File:Lower pons horizontal KB.svg, Cross section of lower pons showing part of the inferior cerebellar peduncle (#8) labeled at the upper left. File:Slide2SEER.JPG, Cerebellum. Inferior surface.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Inferior Cerebellar Peduncle Brainstem Cerebellar connections

Function

See also

Additional images

References

External links