Comparison of Cerebellum and Cerebrum Structure and Functions
The brain is the most complex and advanced part of the human body. It acts as the command center for our entire nervous system. Every information picked up by our body’s sensory organs is processed by the brain, and the necessary information is sent back to the muscles. Every action that takes place inside our body is also controlled by our brain (even our breathing). The human brain has a similar structure to other mammal brains but differs in size.
Our brain weighs around 1.5 kilograms. It contains approximately 86 billion neurons that make up the grey matter. The white matter is made up of billions of axons and dendrites. There exist trillions of synapses that connect our neurons. The human brain is made up of three sections - our forebrain, hindbrain, and midbrain.
The cerebrum, which is the largest part of the human brain, is present in the forebrain. It is further divided into the right hemisphere, left hemisphere, and a total of four lobes. The second largest part of our brains is called the cerebellum. It is located in our hindbrain and is responsible for physical movements and coordination. It is further divided into three lobes.
Cerebrum vs Cerebellum
The cerebrum and cerebellum together constitute the major part of our brain. The cerebrum alone is responsible for 85% of the brain’s weight. It resembles a walnut-like structure. The cerebellum sits closely under the cerebrum in our hindbrain. It is the second-largest part of our brain. Before we differentiate between the cerebrum and cerebellum, let us look at both of them in detail.
Cerebrum
The cerebrum makes up the largest part of the brain and is present in our forebrain. A longitudinal fissure divides the cerebrum lengthwise into two halves called the left and right hemispheres. A further differentiation called the central sulcus divides the two hemispheres into two halves.
These halves contain a lobe each, and they are responsible for some definite functions that are as follows.
Frontal Lobe - It is present at the very front of the brain and is primarily responsible for personality traits and characteristics and also helps in smell procession and recognition.
Parietal Lobe - It helps in establishing spatial relationships and interprets sensation and pain. It is located near the middle part.
Temporal Lobe - It is responsible for short-term memory, speech, and musical rhythm and sits at the sides of each hemisphere.
Occipital Lobe - It is primarily associated with processing vision and is located at the back of the brain.
The cerebrum also contains certain types of neurons.
Sensory neurons are responsible for sensation.
Motor neurons control voluntary and involuntary movements.
Interneurons are nerves that connect with neurons.
Cerebellum
The cerebrum is the largest and very important part of the human brain. It constitutes 80% of total brain weight in a heavily wrinkled cortex. The folded cortex increases the surface area of the brain, thereby increasing the number of neurons. This makes the human brain more efficient than other vertebrates. It is also known to control voluntary movement, intelligence, and memory.
The cerebrum is composed of two types of tissue: gray matter and white matter.
The Gray substance forms the surface of each cerebral hemisphere which is known as the cerebral cortex is involved in processing and recognition.
White matter occupies most of the deeper parts of the brain. It consists of glial cells and myelinated axons that connect different regions of the gray matter.
Cerebellum, which is also called the little brain, is located just below the cerebrum. It is a part of our hindbrain. It is primarily responsible for coordinating voluntary movements. It is also responsible for certain motor functions such as balance, coordination, and posture. The cerebellum consists of a ventricle filled with fluid and a cortex covering the white matter.
It is also further divided into two hemispheres. The main components of the cerebellum are:
Cerebellar Cortex - It is made up of folded tissue that contains most of the neurons present in the cerebellum.
Cerebellar Nuclei - It contains nerve cells that allow information transfer from the cerebellum.
The cerebellum accounts for only 10% of the brain weight but contains most of the neurons(50 - 80%). The lobes present in the cerebellum are:
Anterior Lobe - It is responsible for the sense of the position of one’s own body. It is also called unconscious proprioception.
Posterior Lobe - It plays a significant role in muscle coordination. It inhibits involuntary muscle movements and coordinates voluntary muscle movements.
Flocculonodular Lobe - It helps with coordinating our head and eye movements. It is also responsible for maintaining balance and muscle tone.
The cerebrum and cerebellum differ in their shape, size, structure, and functions. Let us discuss the key points of differences between the cerebrum and cerebellum.
More Differences between Cerebrum and Cerebellum
FAQs on Difference Between Cerebellum And Cerebrum Explained
1. What is the difference between cerebellum and cerebrum?
The main difference between the cerebellum and cerebrum is that the cerebrum controls thinking and voluntary actions, while the cerebellum coordinates balance and muscle movements.
- Cerebrum: Largest part of the brain; responsible for intelligence, memory, reasoning, emotions, and voluntary movements.
- Cerebellum: Located below the cerebrum; maintains posture, balance, and smooth coordination of muscles.
- The cerebrum initiates movement, while the cerebellum fine‑tunes and coordinates it.
2. What is the function of the cerebrum?
The cerebrum is responsible for higher brain functions such as thinking, memory, voluntary movement, and sensory perception.
- Controls voluntary actions like walking and writing.
- Processes sensory information (vision, hearing, touch, taste, smell).
- Involved in learning, reasoning, emotions, and decision‑making.
- Divided into two cerebral hemispheres connected by the corpus callosum.
3. What is the function of the cerebellum?
The cerebellum coordinates voluntary muscle movements and maintains balance and posture.
- Ensures smooth and precise movements.
- Maintains equilibrium during standing and walking.
- Coordinates eye and body movements.
- Helps in motor learning, such as riding a bicycle.
4. Where are the cerebrum and cerebellum located in the brain?
The cerebrum is located at the top and front of the brain, while the cerebellum lies at the back, below the cerebrum.
- The cerebrum forms the largest upper part of the brain.
- The cerebellum is situated beneath the occipital lobes.
- The brainstem connects both structures to the spinal cord.
5. How does the cerebellum help in balance and coordination?
The cerebellum maintains balance by integrating sensory information and adjusting muscle activity accordingly.
- Receives input from the inner ear (vestibular system) about body position.
- Gets signals from muscles and joints.
- Sends corrective signals to skeletal muscles for smooth movement.
- Prevents jerky or uncoordinated actions.
6. Is the cerebrum the largest part of the human brain?
Yes, the cerebrum is the largest part of the human brain and makes up about 80% of its total mass.
- It has a highly folded outer layer called the cerebral cortex.
- The folds (gyri and sulci) increase surface area for more neurons.
- It is divided into frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital lobes.
7. What happens if the cerebellum is damaged?
Damage to the cerebellum leads to loss of coordination, balance problems, and difficulty in precise movements.
- Unsteady walking (ataxia).
- Difficulty in maintaining posture.
- Slurred speech.
- Jerky or poorly timed voluntary movements.
8. What happens if the cerebrum is damaged?
Damage to the cerebrum can affect thinking, memory, speech, emotions, and voluntary movements.
- Loss of memory or confusion.
- Paralysis of voluntary muscles on one side of the body.
- Speech disorders such as aphasia.
- Changes in personality or behavior.
9. How many lobes does the cerebrum have?
The cerebrum has four main lobes in each hemisphere: frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital.
- Frontal lobe: Thinking, planning, voluntary movement.
- Parietal lobe: Sensory perception.
- Temporal lobe: Hearing and memory.
- Occipital lobe: Vision.
10. Does the cerebellum control voluntary movements?
The cerebellum does not initiate voluntary movements but coordinates and fine‑tunes them.
- Voluntary movement signals start in the motor cortex of the cerebrum.
- The cerebellum receives these signals and adjusts timing and force.
- This coordination ensures smooth, balanced, and accurate actions.
