Ultra-high resolution imaging reveals cerebellar architecture in unprecedented detail
12 January 2026Ultra-high resolution imaging reveals cerebellar architecture in unprecedented detail
Researchers at the Spinoza Centre for Neuroimaging and Amsterdam UMC have become the first to visualize the anatomy of the cerebellum in far greater detail than was previously possible. This opens up prospects for future treatment options for a wide range of disorders. “I’m incredibly excited about this,” says one neurologist.
The cerebellum, Latin for “little brain”, lives up to its name: it is only about the size of a peach. Yet although it makes up just around 20 percent of the total brain volume, it contains more nerve cells than the rest of the brain combined. Within this small area, several essential motor and cognitive functions are localized, such as balance and movement, but also attention, language, and learning.
Highly folded
Despite this, the cerebellum remains an underexplored area, says Matthan Caan, physicist and researcher in AI and medical imaging. “Much less research has been done on it than on the rest of the brain. The cerebellum has many small folds. The details of this highly folded structure cannot be mapped with a conventional MRI scan. We have developed a technique that, for the first time, makes it possible to accurately measure the composition and ‘architecture’ of the cerebellum.”
18-minute scan
“We used a very powerful scanner, the 7 Tesla MRI scanner at the Spinoza Centre for Neuroimaging,” Caan explains. “Until now, it was mainly suitable for imaging the cerebrum. We have made it possible to clearly visualize the cerebellum as well, using an 18-minute scan. We also apply a technique to correct for movement, because even the slightest motion causes blurring. We can now see 15 times more detail.”
With this approach, it is now possible to map details down to 0.4 millimeters. “That turns out to be exactly the step needed to properly measure the fine folds of the cerebellum. In this way, we discovered that the distribution of blood vessels and the composition of the upper layer—the gray matter—differ between the various parts of the cerebellum.”
Important step
The path from this type of fundamental research to clinical application is still a long one. Nevertheless, according to neurologist Arthur Buijink of the Amsterdam UMC, these new insights represent an important step toward possible future treatments.
He himself conducts extensive research on people with tremor. “We don’t really understand why people tremble at all,” he says. “There was no good way to look at abnormalities in the different regions within the cerebellum. Now there is. It becomes possible to see whether there are subgroups within this patient population that respond to certain medications or that are eligible for specific brain surgeries. I’m incredibly excited about this.”
Benefits for patients
Buijink also sees opportunities for research into functional impairments caused by conditions such as multiple sclerosis. “Think of balance problems, coordination problems, or cognitive issues. It could very well be that the cerebellum plays a major role in these. The layer of cells in the cerebellum that you want to examine is at most one millimeter thick and difficult to visualize. Now we can do that. It can explain why people have certain symptoms and whether or not they are eligible for specific medications. That is a real benefit for patients.”
This article was translated from an original article on the Amsterdam UMC website (in Dutch): https://www.amsterdamumc.org/nl/vandaag/gedetailleerd-beeld-van-kleine-hersenen-kan-grote-winst-voor-patienten-opleveren.htm
The full article by Nikos Priovoulos et al. can be found at https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.2516608123