Nonuniform scaling of cerebellar cortical-nuclear architecture across primates revealed by cross-species atlases

Abstract

The cerebellum shapes distributed motor and association networks through precisely organized pathways linking the cerebellar cortex to the deep cerebellar nuclei (DCN), its principal output structures. Whether these cortical and nuclear compartments scale proportionally across primates and how their relative expansion influences large-scale brain organization remains unclear. We generated multimodal, high-resolution cross-species 3D cerebellar atlases in marmoset, macaque, and human, integrating iron-sensitive magnetic resonance contrast with complementary histological markers to delineate DCN subdivisions in detail. Comparative volumetric analyses reveal nonuniform scaling of cerebellar cortical-nuclear architecture: cortical expansion markedly outpaces enlargement of the DCN, indicating disproportionate growth of input relative to output structures. This divergence parallels preferential expansion of posterior hemispheric territories, particularly lobules VI-IX and Crus I/II linked to higher-order association networks, whereas DCN subdivisions show selective rather than uniform scaling. Together, these findings establish nonuniform cortical-nuclear scaling as a systems-level organizational principle that reshapes cerebellar contributions to distributed brain networks.