Comparisons, cerebellum (Gross, Low)

Structure List Cat cerebellum Dog cerebellum

Although the cerebellum has an abundant input from sensory receptors, it is essentially a motor part of the brain, functioning in the maintenance of equilibrium and the coordination of muscle action in both stereotyped and nonstereotyped movements. This structure makes a special contribution to synergy of muscle action. The cerebellum increases in size in the course of vertebrate evolution with maximal development found in primates. Why might this be so? The cerebellum consists of a cortex of gray matter, a medullary center of white matter and 4 pairs of central nuclei. The region in and near the midline is the vermis and the remainder are the hemispheres.