Arbor Vitae

The arbor vitae (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.