brainstem

brainstem, area at the base of the brain that lies between the deep structures of the cerebral hemispheres and the cervical spinal cord and that serves a critical role in regulating certain involuntary actions of the body, including heartbeat and breathing. The brainstem is divided into three sections in humans: the midbrain (mesencephalon), the pons (metencephalon), and the medulla oblongata (myelencephalon).

The brainstem houses many of the control centres for vital body functions, such as swallowing, breathing, and vasomotor control. All of the cranial nerve nuclei, except those associated with olfaction and vision, are located in the brainstem, providing motor and sensory function to structures of the cranium, including the facial muscles, tongue, pharynx, and larynx, as well as supplying the senses of taste, equilibrium, and hearing. The brainstem also has nuclei important for sympathetic and parasympathetic autonomic functions. All efferent and afferent pathways between the cerebrum and cerebellum course through the brainstem, and many of them decussate, or cross, within this structure.

Because of the important neural structures concentrated in this small portion of the nervous system, even very small lesions of the brainstem may have profound effects. Speech disorders, vestibular disturbance, abnormal consciousness, dysphagia, and respiratory disturbance are a few examples of possible outcomes of brainstem disorders. Such disorders can be caused by trauma, tumours, strokes, infections, and demyelination (multiple sclerosis). Complete loss of brainstem function is regarded by some experts as equivalent to brain death.