The Brain Stem: The Most Important Part Of The Brain

“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive, to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.” (Marcus Aurelius). Our brain is what keeps us alive, it contains different regions and parts which work together so we are able to eat, breathe and other things we do every day, whether it be voluntary or involuntary. Although, there are many regions in the brain, I believe that the brain stem is the most important part of the brain because it controls messages that are shared between the brain and the rest of the body. The brain stem consists of the medulla oblongata, pons, and midbrain. Some important functions include, breathing, eating, balance, and regulation of heart rate and blood pressure.

The brain stem is

This is the part of the brain that nobody wants to get injured or damaged because its functions are vital in our ability to live. The medulla is responsible for autonomic (involuntary) functions such as, digesting, vomiting, sneezing, coughing, and regulation of heart rate and blood pressure. It also assists in transferring neural messages from the brain to the spinal cord. Consequently, if damage to the right side of the medulla, symptoms will appear on the left side of the body. This is because it is the site of crossing over of nerves to opposite hemispheres of the brain. Paralysis, loss of muscle coordination, vertigo, and even instant death are a few of the consequences of damage to the medulla. For this reason, some snipers are trained to aim for the medulla oblongata when it comes to a life or death situation, as injury to the medulla can instantly take down an offender.

Pons are structures in the upper part of the brainstem that are approximately 2.5 centimeters long. The Pons help control movement, regulates the sleep cycle, controls breathing, hearing, taste, and balance. Also, pons help transmit neural messages from parts of the nervous system, the cerebral cortex and cerebellum. With this in mind, Locked-in syndrome is when a person is alive and conscious but all voluntary muscles are paralyzed from the body, this is due to damage in the pons. Although not fatal, I could not imagine if someone I knew or even myself were to be in such