Lingula of cerebellum
Lingula cerebelli
The small, tongue-shaped front lobule of the superior vermis, lying on the superior medullary velum above the fourth ventricle.
At a glance
- English
- Lingula of cerebellum
- Latin (TA2)
- Lingula cerebelli
- System
- Brain and spinal cord
- Region
- Head
- Side
- Single, on the midline
About the lingula of cerebellum
The lingula (Latin for a little tongue) is the most anterior lobule of the vermis of the cerebellum and the first of the lobules met when the upper surface of the vermis is followed forwards and downwards. It is a thin strip made of only a handful of folia, typically four or five. In the numbered scheme of cerebellar lobules it is lobule I, and it is part of the anterior lobe.
It lies in the midline, tucked under the front of the central lobule, which overhangs and hides it in an intact brain; it can only be seen properly on a midline cut or when the central lobule is lifted. Below and in front, the lingula rests on the upper (dorsal) surface of the superior medullary velum, the thin sheet of white matter that forms the upper part of the roof of the fourth ventricle between the two superior cerebellar peduncles. The white core of the lingula is continuous with that velum. Small lateral extensions, the vincula of the lingula, may pass a short way onto the velum on each side.
In front of the lingula and velum lie the inferior colliculi of the midbrain and the point where the trochlear nerves emerge just below them and cross within the velum. The lingula therefore sits close to the upper end of the fourth ventricle and the cerebral aqueduct.
Like the rest of the anterior vermis, the lingula receives spinal input, especially through the anterior spinocerebellar tract, and sends output through the fastigial nucleus; it contributes to the control of posture and the trunk. Its small size means it is seldom affected alone, but its position matters in surgery of the upper fourth ventricle and the pineal region, where the superior medullary velum and trochlear nerves must be protected. In Chiari and Dandy-Walker malformations the anterior vermis, including the lingula, may be small or displaced.
Function and supply
- Function
- Part of the anterior lobe of the vermis, receiving spinal input and helping regulate posture and trunk movement through the fastigial nucleus.
- Blood supply
- Superior cerebellar artery, through its vermian branches.
Anthromica
See the lingula of cerebellum where it really sits, with every layer of the body around it.
- Every layer, one body. Peel from muscle to bone, nerve, vessel and organ, and turn it any way.
- English and Latin. Every structure named the way your exam names it.
- Quiz until it sticks. Short drills on the structures you keep missing.
Free to start. No card.
