I’m having trouble finding a clear explanation for this: if the human brain contains roughly 85 to 100 billion neurons, why is it that the neocortex—the largest region by volume—only accounts for 16 to 20 billion of them? Meanwhile, the cerebellum, which appears much smaller than the cerebrum, holds about 70 billion neurons, or nearly four times as many. Am I overlooking some key piece of information?
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The cerebellum represents the ancestral core of neuronal evolution, handling everything from movement regulation to the creation of memories. The other parts of the brain are more recent evolutionary additions that essentially refine and enhance the cerebellum’s core operations.