The Next Big Thing About the Cerebellum Might Open Frontiers In Understanding The Brain

The cerebellum, which in Latin means “the little brain,” is at the hindbrain in all vertebrates. North of the cerebellum is the cerebral cortex which forms its outer layer. Formerly, due to its folding nature, the cerebellum was thought to be smaller than the cerebral cortex and so not much involved in as much activities in human behavior and cognition as the cortex. But recent research has disproved that point.

The cerebellum as earlier said was thought to be smaller because it is arranged in hundreds of folds which make it look small in surface area but researchers using ultra-high-field MRI imaging together with specialized software have found that the surface of the cerebellum is much larger than was believed. It was even found to be even bigger than the cerebral cortex. It is now said to be approximately more than 80 percent of the cerebral cortex.  

This research would now open the way for more research into the benefits of the cerebellum for human behavior and cognition. This is because since the cerebellum is bigger than the cortex, it shows that human evolution is more advanced than other vertebrates, even those closer to man like the macaque monkeys. Therefore, it will help us to understand how over the years man has adapted better than other vertebrates to the environment and has used the advantage afforded it by a bigger cerebellum to develop advanced levels of cognitive abilities.

The researchers also found that while the cerebral cortex was well arranged and the body parts they were controlling well defined, that is not the case for the cerebellum. The cerebellum receives information from disparate parts of the body in a random manner. That means, areas for coordinating the shoulder could lie side by side with areas coordinating the foot. This gives humans the advantage over other animals of coordinating different body parts all at the same time from one central location, enhancing efficiency.

Also, the researchers found that the cerebellum must have a higher role in controlling emotional responses more than was earlier thought. It is established that the cerebellum is involved in movement-related functions, but this study also delved into the study of damaged cerebellums and found that people with such challenges had problems understanding their emotions. But further research has to be done in this area.

In the coming years, with the results from the MRI study, researchers will be able to better understand how the brain works and not confine their knowledge to thinking the control of body functions is limited to specific areas of the brain. Mapping the cerebellum will be an interesting new frontier for scientific advancement and further understanding of the human body.