Page 9 - UNIT 3

2. FUNCTIONAL UNIT OF THE CEREBELLUM: THE PURKINJE CELL AND THE DEEP NUCLEAR
CELL.

The cerebellum has around 30 million functional units,
centered on a single Purkinje cell and on a corresponding
deep nuclear cell. (The Pukinje cell is in the cerebellar
cortex and it connects with the deep nuclear cell.)

The cortex has three major layers:
 The molecular layer: it hardly has neurons.
 The Purkinje cell layer: it has Purkinje cells.
 The granule cell layer: it sends the information
to the deep nuclear cell.

Beneath these cortical layers, in the centre of the
cerebellar mass, are the deep cerebellar nuclei that send
output signals to other parts of the nervous system.

9