The hindbrain

The Hindbrain has two main divisions:

the Metencephalon (Cerebellum and Pons) and the

Myelencephalon (Medulla)

Metencephalon

Cerebellum (looks like a small brain/cerebrum)

 

• Cerebellum is connected to the pons via axon bundles (cerabella peduncles )the superior, middle, and inferior cerebellar peduncles

 

• Includes the cerebellar cortex + deep cerebellar nuclei.

• These nuclei receive projections from the cerebellar cortex and themselves send projections out of the cerebellum to other parts of the brain.

 

• Integrates sensory and motor information for motor control and smooth, coordinated movement

Cerebellar damage results in jerky, poorly coordinated, exaggerated movements;

 

The cerebella cortex has connections to the deep cerebella nuclei  and the cerebellum has these broader connections with the rest of the brain which allow for the integration of information of individual muscle movement and all our senses = ensures smooth coordinated movement

Metencephalon

Pons (bridge)

• Looks like a big lump on the brain stem. lies between the mesencephalon and medulla oblongata, immediately ventral to the cerebellum.

 

• It contains part of the reticular formation linked to sleep/arousal

 

Also has a nucleus which relays information from the  cortex to the cerebellum

Myelencephalon

 The main structure is the medulla oblongata which

contains part of the reticular formation that controls vitals (cardiovascular system, respiration, skeletal muscle tone)

medulla oblongata

contains part of the reticular formation that controls vitals (cardiovascular system, respiration, skeletal muscle tone)

Pons (bridge)

• Looks like a big lump on the brain stem. lies between the mesencephalon and medulla oblongata, immediately ventral to the cerebellum.

 

• It contains part of the reticular formation linked to sleep/arousal

 

Also has a nucleus which relays information from the  cortex to the cerebellum

Spinal Cord i

• , tubelike structure of nervous tissue that extends from the medulla oblongata in the hindbrain.

 

• The primary function of the spinal cord is that it distributes motor fibres to the effector organs of the body (glands and muscles) and collects somatosensory information (e.g. pressure, touch) to pass onto the brain.

 

spinal cord is protected by

vertebral column

• The column is composed of 24 vertebrae (interlocking bones).

• of the cervical (neck), thoracic (chest), and lumbar (lower back) regions and the fused vertebrae that make up the sacral and coccygeal portions of the column (located in the pelvic region).

spinal roots.

A spinal root is a bundle of axons surrounded by connective tissue.

•  Spinal roots occur in pairs that join to form a spinal nerve of the peripheral nervous system.

Spinal foramen

(spinal cord passes through this opening)

the Dorsal root

contains incoming sensory fibres,

the Ventral root

outgoing motor fibres.

Like brain, the spinal cord consists of white matter and gray matter.

Unlike the brain's white matter, the spinal cord's white matter (consisting of ascending and descending bundles of myelinated axons) is on the outside and the gray matter (mostly neural cell bodies and short, unmyelinated axons) is on the inside.