Cerebellar white matter (arbor vitae)

Arbor vitae cerebelli

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What it is
The branching white-matter core of the cerebellum: a central body (corpus medullare) sends thin lamellae out into every folium, so a midline cut shows a tree-like pattern, the "tree of life". The deep cerebellar nuclei (dentate, interposed, fastigial) sit inside it.
Function
Carries fibres into the cerebellar cortex (mossy and climbing fibres) and Purkinje-cell output to the deep nuclei, which send the cerebellum's signals out through the peduncles.
Size
Core about 3 x 1.5 cm; lamellae under 1 mm thick
Clinical note
The dentate nucleus, the largest deep cerebellar nucleus, relays the lateral cerebellum to the thalamus and motor cortex; damage to it or its outflow causes intention tremor.

Nearby nervous structures Cerebellar hemisphere, Cerebellar vermis, Cerebral aqueduct, Facial nerve root (CN VII), Fourth ventricle, Pons, Tentorium cerebelli, Trigeminal nerve root (CN V), Trochlear nerve root (CN IV), Vestibulocochlear nerve root (CN VIII)