That Neuroscience Guy Neuroscience Bites-The Brainstem
Sep 29, 2022
Discover the brainstem's essential role in connecting central and peripheral nervous systems. Learn about its key functions, from controlling automatic bodily responses to influencing attention and sleep cycles. Dive into the fascinating components of the brainstem and the significance of the reticular activating system in our daily lives.
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Brainstem's Role
- The brainstem connects the central nervous system to the peripheral nervous system, enabling communication between the brain and the body.
- It transmits messages from the brain to control muscles and receives sensory information.
Brainstem's Core Functions
- The brainstem has core functions like maintaining balance, regulating blood pressure and breathing, and controlling facial sensation, hearing, heart rhythms, and swallowing.
- It also contains 10 of the 12 cranial nerves, which control facial movements, sensations, and taste.
Brainstem Components
- The brainstem is composed of three key parts: the midbrain, pons, and medulla oblongata.
- These regulate automatic bodily responses such as eye movement, facial movements, hearing, balance, breathing, heart rhythms, blood pressure, and swallowing.