What is "flocculus"

Flocculus \Floc"cu*lus\, n.; pl. Flocculi. [NL., dim. of L. floccus a lock or flock of wool.] (Anat.) A small lobe in the under surface of the cerebellum, near the middle peduncle; the subpeduncular lobe.

The flocculus ( Latin: tuft of wool, diminutive) is a small lobe of the cerebellum at the posterior border of the middle cerebellar peduncle anterior to the biventer lobule. Like other parts of the cerebellum, the flocculus is involved in motor control. It is an essential part of the vestibulo-ocular reflex, and aids in the learning of basic motor skills in the brain.

It is associated with the nodulus of the vermis; together, these two structures compose the vestibular part of the cerebellum.

At its base, the flocculus receives input from the inner ear's vestibular system and regulates balance. Many floccular projections connect to the motor nuclei involved in control of eye movement.

Flocculus is the diminutive form of the Latin word for a tuft of wool: floccus. It can refer to:

• Flocculus (cerebellar): Either of a pair of small lobes on the posterior border of the cerebellum, forming part of the vestibulocerebellum.
• In Astronomical Science: (Solar reference), i.e.; A solar flocculus. Flocculus (pl. flocculi) - A highly illuminated sector or region of a solar surface as seen through observation in monochrome light of a chosen spectral line, in visible, or hyperspectral wavelengths, sometimes associated with, or identified with Solar prominences. Dark flocculi typically describes the appearance of Solar prominences when viewed against the solar disk in certain wavelengths.