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The cerebellum is a dorsally projecting part of the brain located above the medulla (see Diagram of the Upper Nervous System – In Situ). The cerebellum consists of a cortex of gray matter and a central core of white matter. The cerebellar cortex contains three well-defined layers, which are, from inside to outside, the granular layer, the Purkinje cell layer, and the molecular layer. The granular layer is densely packed with granule cells, small neurons whose axons extend into the molecular layer. The Purkinje cell layer consists of a single row of Purkinje cells, large neurons with a single axon extending deep into the cerebellum and multiple dendrites branching extensively in the molecular layer. The molecular layer contains mostly the axons of granule cells and the dendrites of Purkinje cells. Cells in the molecular layer are primarily glial cells.
The 4X micrograph displays the white matter (medulla) and the cortex of the cerebellum as well as the meninges, which covers the cerebellum. The 10X and 20X micrographs show, in increasing detail, the meninges and the three layers of the cerebellar cortex, the molecular layer, the Purkinje cell layer, and the granular layer. The cells present in these layers are visible in the 40X micrograph.
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