| Cerebellar vermis | |
|---|---|
 Upper surface of cerebellum. The vermis is highlighted in red. | |
 Vermis (highlighted in red) on the cerebellum. | |
| Details | |
| Part of | Cerebellum |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | vermis cerebelli |
| MeSH | D065814 |
| NeuroNames | 2463 |
| NeuroLex ID | birnlex_1106 |
| TA98 | A14.1.07.006 |
| TA2 | 5819 |
| FMA | 76928 |
| Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy | |
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 surface of the cerebellum, dividing it into anterior and posterior lobes. Functionally, the vermis is associated with bodily posture and locomotion. The vermis is included within the spinocerebellum and receives somatic sensory input from the head and proximal body parts via ascending spinal pathways.[1]
The cerebellum develops in a rostro-caudal manner, with rostral regions in the midline giving rise to the vermis, and caudal regions developing into the cerebellar hemispheres.[2] By 4 months of prenatal development, the vermis becomes fully foliated, while development of the hemispheres lags by 30–60 days.[3] Postnatally, proliferation and organization of the cellular components of the cerebellum continues, with completion of the foliation pattern by 7 months of life[4] and final migration, proliferation, and arborization of cerebellar neurons by 20 months.[5]
Inspection of the posterior fossa is a common feature of prenatal ultrasound and is used primarily to determine whether excess fluid or malformations of the cerebellum exist.[6] Anomalies of the cerebellar vermis are diagnosed in this manner and include phenotypes consistent with Dandy–Walker malformation, rhombencephalosynapsis, displaying no vermis with fusion of the cerebellar hemispheres, pontocerebellar hypoplasia, or stunted growth of the cerebellum, and neoplasms. In neonates, hypoxic injury to the cerebellum is fairly common, resulting in neuronal loss and gliosis. Symptoms of these disorders range from mild loss of fine motor control to severe intellectual disability and death. Karyotyping has shown that most pathologies associated with the vermis are inherited through an autosomal recessive pattern, with most known mutations occurring on the X chromosome.[1][7]
The vermis is intimately associated with all regions of the cerebellar cortex, which can be divided into three functional parts, each having distinct connections with the brain and spinal cord. These regions are the vestibulocerebellum, which is responsible primarily for the control of eye movements; the spinocerebellum, involved in fine tune body and limb movement; and the cerebrocerebellum, which is associated with planning, initiation and timing of movements.[8]
- ^ a b Coffman, K.A.; Dum, R.P.; Strick, P.L. (2011). "Cerebellar vermis is a target of projections from the motor areas in the cerebral cortex". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 108 (38): 16068–16073. Bibcode:2011PNAS..10816068C. doi:10.1073/pnas.1107904108. PMC 3179064. PMID 21911381.
- ^ Cho, K. H.; Rodriguez-Vazquez, J. F.; Kim, J. H.; Abe, H.; Murakami, G.; Cho, B. H. (2011). "Early fetal development of the human cerebellum". Surgical and Radiologic Anatomy. 33 (6): 523–530. doi:10.1007/s00276-011-0796-8. PMID 21380713. S2CID 25451924.
- ^ Parisia, M.; Dobynsb, W. (2003). "Human malformations of the midbrain and hindbrain: review and proposed classification scheme". Molecular Genetics and Metabolism. 80 (1–2): 36–53. doi:10.1016/j.ymgme.2003.08.010. PMID 14567956.
- ^ J.D. Loeser; R.J. Lemire; J. Alvord (1973). "The development of the folia in the human cerebellar vermis". Anat. Rec. 173 (1): 109–114. doi:10.1002/ar.1091730109. PMID 5028060. S2CID 45169021.
- ^ D. Goldowitz; K. Hamre (1998). "The cells and molecules that make a cerebellum". Trends Neurosci. 21 (9): 375–382. doi:10.1016/S0166-2236(98)01313-7. PMID 9735945. S2CID 41916018.
- ^ Robinson AJ, Blaser S, Toi A, et al. (2007). "The fetal cerebellar vermis: assessment for abnormal development by ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging". Ultrasound Quarterly. 23 (3): 211–223. doi:10.1097/ruq.0b013e31814b162c. PMID 17805192. S2CID 23068656.
- ^ Zanni G, Bertini ES (2011). "X-linked disorders with cerebellar dysgenesis". Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases. 6: 24. doi:10.1186/1750-1172-6-24. PMC 3115841. PMID 21569638.
- ^ Ghez C, Fahn S (1985). "The cerebellum". In Kandel ER, Schwartz JH (eds.). Principles of Neural Science (2nd ed.). New York: Elsevier. pp. 502–522.