Brainstem and Diencephalon

Karl Yu 48Zed Sabella

42

What is the brainstem?

stemlike part of the brain that is connected to the spinal cord

located at the lower part of the brain

PARTS OF THE BRAINSTEM:

Midbrain

PonsMedulla

MIDBRAIN

• smallest region of the brain

• controls many important functions in the visual and auditory systems as well as the eye movement

PONS

• means bridge • conducts messages

between the spinal cord and the rest of the brain and also between the different parts of the brain

MEDULLA OR MEDULLA OBLONGATA

• where all the messages that are transmitted between the brain and the spinal cord pass

• fibers on right: cross to the left; fibers on left: cross to the right(so brain controls opposite side of the body)

main function of the brainstem

regulate the flow of information between the brain and the rest of the body

What is diencephalon?

posterior part of the forebrain that connects the midbrain with the cerebral hemispheres

encloses the third ventricle

Function of the diencephalon

performs numerous vital functions, most of which relate directly or indirectly to the

regulation of visceral activities by way of other brain regions and the autonomic

nervous system

PARTS OF THE DIENCEPHALON:

There are a lot of parts of the diencephalon, but we will only focus on the 2

main parts.

ThalamusHypothalamus

THALAMUS

processes and relays movement and sensory information

taking in sensory information and then passing it on to the cerebral cortex

HYPOTHALAMUS

a grouping of nuclei that lie along the base of the brain near the pituitary gland

Connects with many regions of the brain

It is associated with the endocrine system

SummaryThe brainstem consists of midbrain, pons , and medulla. It is important for passing whatever information to our brain. The diencephalon connects the brainstem and the cerebrum. Its major parts are the thalamus and hypothalamus.

SummaryThe thalamus is for receiving sensory inputs from different parts of the body before it enters the cerebral cortex.

The hypothalamus is associated with our endocrine functions.

SummaryThe brainstem consists of the midbrain, pons and medulla.

-midbrain controls visual and auditory functions

-pons serves as a bridge-medulla is where the fibers

cross

Thank you for listening!