Arbor vitae (anatomy)
| Arbor vitae | |
|---|---|
Figure shows cerebellum and surrounding regions; sagittal view of one hemisphere. A: Midbrain. B: Pons. C: Medulla. D: Spinal cord. E: Fourth ventricle. F: Arbor vitae. G: Flocculus. H: Tonsil. I: Posterior lobe. J: Anterior lobe. K: Inferior colliculus. L: Superior colliculus. | |
Animation of the left half of the human brain. Arbor vitae is illustrated in white. | |
| Details | |
| Identifiers | |
| Latin | arbor vitae cerebelli |
| NeuroNames | 692 |
| NeuroLex ID | nlx_anat_20090101 |
| TA98 | A14.1.07.401 |
| TA2 | 5789 |
| FMA | 72541 |
| Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy | |
The arbor vitae /ˌɑːrbɔːr ˈvaɪtiː/ (Latin for "tree of life") is the cerebellar white matter, so called for its branched, tree-like appearance. In some ways it more resembles a fern and is present in both cerebellar hemispheres. It brings sensory and motor information to and from the cerebellum. The arbor vitae is located deep in the cerebellum. Situated within the arbor vitae are the deep cerebellar nuclei; the dentate, globose, emboliform and the fastigial nuclei. These four different structures lead to the efferent projections of the cerebellum.