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Summary

When you play the piano or hit a tennis ball you are activating the cerebellum. The cerebellum is the area of the brain that controls coordination and balance. Problems with the cerebellum include:

• Cancer
• Genetic disorders
• Ataxias - failure of muscle control in the arms and legs that result in movement disorders
• Degeneration - disorders caused by brain cells decreasing in size or wasting away

Treatment of cerebellar disorders depends on the cause. In some cases, there is no cure but treatment may help with symptoms.

NIH: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Start Here

• Ataxias and Cerebellar or Spinocerebellar Degeneration (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

• Brain MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
• Electromyography (EMG) and Nerve Conduction Studies (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Head CT (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish

Specifics

• Birth Disorders of the Brain and Spinal Cord (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
• Cerebellar Degeneration (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) Also in Spanish
• Cerebellar Hypoplasia (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
• Geniculate Herpes Zoster (Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center)
• Joubert Syndrome (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
• Spinocerebellar Ataxias Including Machado-Joseph Disease (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)

Genetics

• Ataxia with oculomotor apraxia: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Ataxia-pancytopenia syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Autosomal recessive cerebellar ataxia type 1: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Episodic ataxia: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Gordon Holmes syndrome: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Infantile-onset spinocerebellar ataxia: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Myoclonic epilepsy myopathy sensory ataxia: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Neuropathy, ataxia, and retinitis pigmentosa: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Pontocerebellar hypoplasia: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Spinocerebellar ataxia type 1: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Spinocerebellar ataxia type 2: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• Spinocerebellar ataxia type 6: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
• VLDLR-associated cerebellar hypoplasia: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Ataxia (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Cerebellar Diseases (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Identification and functional analysis of a novel TBC1D23 pathogenic variant in...
• Article: Cerebellum-Predominant Progressive Multifocal Leukoencephalopathy: An Under-recognized Cause of Cerebellar Syndrome among...
• Article: A Review of the Ocular Phenotype and Correlation with Genotype in...
• Cerebellar Disorders -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Patient Handouts

• Acute cerebellar ataxia (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Multiple system atrophy - cerebellar subtype (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish