The cerebellum is far more intensively involved in helping us navigate than previously thought.

To move and learn effectively in spatial environments, “place cells” in the hippocampus, create a cognitive map of the environment through the integration of multisensory inputs combining external information (such as visual, auditory, olfactory and tactile cues) and inputs generated by self-motion (optic flow, and proprioceptive and vestibular information)..

The cerebellum contributes to the creation of this map by altering the chemical communication between its neurons, Ruhr University neuroscientists demonstrated, using transgenic mice that had a mutation impairing  this communication. If this ability is inactivated, the brain is no longer able to to create an effective spatial representation and thus navigation in an environment becomes impaired.

Ref.: C. Rochefort, et al., Cerebellum Shapes Hippocampal Spatial Code, Science, 2011; 334 (6054): 385 [DOI: 10.1126/science.1207403]