- Damage that involves only the cerebellar cortex rarely results in permanent motor deficits.
- However, damage to the cortex plus nuclei or to only the nuclei results in a wide range of motor problems that may have long-term consequences.
- Lesions of the cerebellar hemisphere result in motor deficits on the ipsilateral side of the body because the motor expression of cerebellar injury is mediated primarily through corticospinal and rubrospinal pathways.
- For example, the right lateral and interposed cerebellar deep nuclei influence the left motor cortex (via VL thalamus) and the left red nucleus, both of which in turn project to the right side of the spinal cord. Thus a lesion in the right cerebellum affects the left motor cortex and results in dysfunction on the right side of the body.
- The exceptions are a
- Midline cerebellar lesion (bilateral deficits restricted to axial or truncal parts of the body)
- Cerebellar lesion below the decussation of the superior cerebellar peduncle (cerebellar signs on the side opposite to the cerebellar lesion).
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