The vestibulocerebellar tract fibers are second-order fibers from the

vestibular nuclei The vestibular nuclei (VN) are the cranial nuclei for the vestibular nerve located in the brainstem. In Terminologia Anatomica, they are grouped in both the pons and the medulla in the brainstem The brainstem (or brain stem) is the poste ...

, and first-order fibers from the

vestibular ganglion The vestibular ganglion (also Scarpa's ganglion) is a collection of cell bodies belonging to first order sensory neurons of the vestibular nerve. It is located within the internal auditory canal. Anatomy Surrounding structure The superior a ...

nerve A nerve is an enclosed, cable-like bundle of nerve fibers (called axons). Nerves have historically been considered the basic units of the peripheral nervous system. A nerve provides a common pathway for the Electrochemistry, electrochemical nerv ...

. They pass through the juxtarestiform body of the

inferior cerebellar peduncle 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 peduncles. The upper part of t ...

to reach 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 ...

, They terminate in the

vestibulocerebellum 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 cortex, with white matter underneath, several deep nuclei embedded in the white matter, ...

, and part of the

vermis The cerebellar vermis (from Latin ''vermis,'' "worm") is located in the medial, cortico-nuclear zone of the cerebellum, which is in the posterior fossa of the cranium. The primary fissure in the vermis curves ventrolaterally to the superior s ...

as well as the

dentate nucleus The dentate nucleus refer to a pair of deep cerebellar nuclei deep within the white matter of the cerebellum of the brain with a dentate – tooth-like or serrated – edge. The dentate forms the largest pathway between the cerebellum and the r ...

, and

fastigial nucleus The fastigial nucleus (roof nucleus-1) is located in each cerebellar hemisphere. It is one of the four paired deep cerebellar nuclei of the cerebellum. It is made up of two sections: the rostral fastigial nucleus and the caudal fastigial nucle ...

in each

hemisphere Hemisphere may refer to: In geometry * Hemisphere (geometry), a half of a sphere As half of Earth or any spherical astronomical object * A hemisphere of Earth ** Northern Hemisphere ** Southern Hemisphere ** Eastern Hemisphere ** Western Hemi ...

They are involved in maintaining balance. The first-order axons in the vestibulocerebellar tract terminate on the same side in the

flocculonodular lobe The flocculonodular lobe ( vestibulocerebellum) is one of the lobes of the cerebellum. It is a small lobe consisting of the unpaired midline nodule and the two flocculi: one flocculus on either side of the nodule. The lobe is involved in maintai ...

; this direct projection to the cerebellum is a unique feature of the

vestibular system The vestibular system, in vertebrates, is a sensory system that creates the sense of balance and spatial orientation for the purpose of coordinating motor coordination, movement with balance. Together with the cochlea, a part of the auditory sys ...

References

External links

Brainstem Central nervous system pathways Cerebellar connections Vestibulocochlear nerve {{Neuroanatomy-stub