The brainstem is an important part of our body. It connects the brain to the spinal cord and has several key jobs:
Regulating Vital Signs: The brainstem helps control important functions like heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing. One part called the medulla oblongata helps keep track of these vital signs.
Consciousness and Sleep: The brainstem helps manage our sleep-wake cycles and keeps us alert. This happens mainly through a system called the reticular activating system.
Reflex Actions: It also controls reflexes like swallowing, vomiting, and coughing. These reflexes help us react quickly to things happening around us.
Pathways for Communication: The brainstem works like a highway for information traveling to and from the brain. It helps the brain talk to the rest of the body.
Knowing what the brainstem does helps us see how it keeps us healthy and balanced.
The brainstem is an important part of our body. It connects the brain to the spinal cord and has several key jobs:
Regulating Vital Signs: The brainstem helps control important functions like heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing. One part called the medulla oblongata helps keep track of these vital signs.
Consciousness and Sleep: The brainstem helps manage our sleep-wake cycles and keeps us alert. This happens mainly through a system called the reticular activating system.
Reflex Actions: It also controls reflexes like swallowing, vomiting, and coughing. These reflexes help us react quickly to things happening around us.
Pathways for Communication: The brainstem works like a highway for information traveling to and from the brain. It helps the brain talk to the rest of the body.
Knowing what the brainstem does helps us see how it keeps us healthy and balanced.