Difference Between Cerebellum and Cerebrum: Structure and Functions

The difference between cerebrum and cerebellum is based on their structure and function in the brain. The cerebrum and cerebellum are two main parts of the central nervous system that have different functions. The cerebrum, which is the largest part of the brain, is involved in higher cognitive functions such as thinking, memory, decision-making, emotions, and voluntary movements. On the other hand, the cerebellum is located at the back of the brain, beneath the cerebrum, and is mainly responsible for maintaining balance, posture, and coordination of fine motor skills. This is an important topic from the Neural Control and Coordination Chapter of Biology.

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This Story also Contains

1. What are Cerebrum and Cerebellum?
2. Structure and Location
3. Difference Between Cerebellum And Cerebrum
4. Injuries to the Human Brain

What are Cerebrum and Cerebellum?

The cerebellum and cerebrum are parts of the brain differentiated in terms of structure and functions. While the cerebrum takes charge of higher cognitive functions and sensory processing, the cerebellum is in charge of coordinating movement and balance.

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Structure and Location

The structure and location are described below-

Cerebrum

• The largest part of the brain, the cerebrum occupies the uppermost region of the cranial cavity.

• It is divided into two hemispheres and four lobes namely frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital.

Cerebellum

• The cerebellum is at the lower back of the brain behind the occipital lobes of the cerebrum.

• The organ has a distinctive appearance with an extremely folded surface like the cerebrum though smaller.

Difference Between Cerebellum And Cerebrum

Some of the major differences between the cerebrum and cerebellum are discussed in the table below:

Injuries to the Human Brain

The brain is a crucial organ that coordinates and regulates essential bodily functions, cognitive processes, emotions, and sensory processing. Damage to the brain therefore affects general health and ability. Brain injuries are generally of two types: traumatic and non-traumatic. Traumatic injury is caused by extrinsic forces such as falls, car accidents, athletic injuries, assaults, and explosions which damage the human brain.

In respect to the severity and location of the injury, TBIs could vary from a mild concussive brain injury that momentarily deranges brain function up to serious injuries such as contusion, diffuse axonal injuries, or even penetration injury leading to disabling sequelae or death.

Differences from non-traumatic injuries are that other than stroke, most injuries that affect the head can be caused by infectious causes, such as infections caused by encephalitis, brain haemorrhage, cancer, and certain neurodegenerative disorders linked with the misfolded proteins. Such injuries can cause disorganization in normal brain activity, which leads to huge impairments in movement, cognition, or vital processes.

The cause may be primary or secondary, but the damage and its consequences are entirely dependent on the extent of damage, the area in the brain that is involved, and the cause in itself, usually requiring special medical intervention to manage the effects and minimize them.

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