Brainstem Autobiography

The stem-like part of the Brain is called the Brainstem and it’s a small but important part of how our body’s function. It is highly considered a basic region of the brain and so it is vital to survival for all animals. It connects the brain and the spinal cord which gives it control to the body’s physical conditions and movements, it coordinates involuntary and voluntary reflexes. The parts of the Brainstem are about the size of a thumbtack, however, did you know that these parts of the Brain control you heart and lungs? The tiny area on the bottom of the Brain controls a large part of your life.

The Brainstem is located in the posterior region and in the lower section of the brain, it is in between the cerebrum and the spinal cord. This

portion of the Brain contains three major pieces that each carry out their own functions. The three pieces are the midbrain, pons, and the medulla oblongata. In the Midbrain the functions are linked with visual, auditory, and motor systems. It also regulates body temperature, wake cycles, alertness, and conveys impulses. The Pons are where signals run from neurons that takes care of sleep, it regulates respiration, controls swallowing, bladder control, hearing, tasting, eye movements, facial expressions, facial sensation, posture, and equilibrium. Pons are also used to connect the spinal cord to parts of the brain. Finally, the Medulla Oblongata controls the cardiac, respirator, and vasomotor centers. It regulates involuntary functions too, like breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure.
The Brain like other organs is bound to change as a human ages in some way, but, the inferior section of the Brain does not show any signs of change in its development. The Brainstem is the lowest part of the brain and so the brainstem as a whole does not age. Through research subtle signs of ageing in the Midbrain has been discovered. The midbrain shows signs of age-related shrinkage but this can also be the effect of alcohol usage throughout a human’s life. Though there is a small amount of shrinkage in the midbrain usually it does not affect the brainstem’s volume in the end. For a body’s functions it helps that the Brainstem does not wear out. The systems within this portion of the Brain include the neural networks that connect to each other to pass along information. As the brain ages it learns more by recognizing what is familiar to it. The logic it uses is what the Brain itself understands. In the Brainstem the parts are used to control breathing, movements, homeostasis, and more and to conduct it more efficiently the body learns how to spread the important information to the body’s nerves so it can be conducted back in the Brain.
There are many devices used to track different parts of the brain, however, they depend on what part of the Brain you would like to look at.

For examining the Brainstem, three important devices that can be used include the EEG, fMRI, and the MEG. Electroencephalography (EEG) Machines are used in laboratories and hospitals. Its purpose is to measure electrical activity generated by cortical layers of the Brain. The electrical signals are from gray matter regions that include many pyramidal cells. Large groups of pyramidal cells generate electricity that soon gets recorded as EEG electrodes. The electrodes go past electric fields and record processes and also monitor different states of the Brain. Examples of states of the Brain are motivation, engagement, and drowsiness. The second machine is the Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (FRMI) and it measures brain function by detecting changes in blood flow that relate to neural activity. This is done on the hypothesis that active neurons need a greater amount of oxygen. This device uses a superconducting magnet and it rotates around a person lying down. It measures the magnetization difference in oxygen-rich and oxygen-poor blood, which shows the different levels of brain activity in the different regions. The last machine is the Magnetoencephalography (MEG) Machine which captures magnetic fields that’re generated from neural activity. Just like the FRMI the MEG requires the patient to lay still. It has to happen in a shielded

chamber in order to avoid magnetic fields from the outside environment that could effect the data recording. It is highly precise in the time and space that it records.
Major disorders in the Brainstem can occur easily and they are quite common in people of all ages.

Five major disorders of this section of the Brain include Brainstem Disorder, Stroke, Weber’s Syndrome, Basilar Artery Thrombosis and Stenosis, and PICA. They all affect people in various ways because they affect each part of the Brainstem in different places. Brainstem Disorder can change a person’s personality and ability to process their movements. A stroke is caused by a deficiency in the blood supply of the brain. Weber’s Syndrome affects the midbrain which causes problems in the arteries near the brain and leaves a white ‘stain’ on the scalp of the patient. Basilar Artery Thrombosis and Stenosis can lead to other complications causing the Brainstem to stop being able to control the body’s functions. Lastly, PICA, the most common type of Brainstem disorder is a type of stroke that affects eating habits so that the patient has no

nutrition.
Dysfunctions in the Brainstem can lead to disabilities in movement, facial expressions, consciousness, sleep, and control of organs. If the Brainstem is damaged then it is most likely going to cause so many problems in the body’s function that another disorder or disease will develop. The symptoms in the Brainstem depend on where and how much damage occurred to the specific parts. Examples of manifestations include a coma; due to loss of consciousness, disability to pay attention; due to loss of control of organs, and loss of coordination; due to disabilities in movement. Brain injury definitely affects the Brainstem’s ability to function. Most of the side effects relate to physical movement and how the body can translate the nerve impulses it gets from the Brain. Injury however affects different people in different ways. Young children would likely gain a lot of their functions back after the damage is fixed whereas an older adult would need a lot more time to rehabilitate and some even then do not regain their abilities to perform correctly.
Research about the Brainstem is a popular subject all over the world. There are many research projects going on about how the Brainstem can affect people of various ages. One of the most widespread studies being conducted right now is about SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) where scientists have found an abnormality in about 40 infants. Other examinations show that the Brainstem doesn’t age, it’s parts can show some signs of shrinkage, but the whole volume does not change. Research in Denmark is using the Brainstem to conduct therapy and see whether it relates to diseases like Parkinson’s Disease and Alzheimer’s Disease. Denmark’s project spreads out to gene modification too. They’ve been trying to recreate parts of the Brainstem to use to analyze for experiments.
The tiny part of your Brain needs to stay safe because it is what controls a majority of your ability to do activities you enjoy and it helps your body function even while you aren’t awake. There is a lot of experimentation using various devices going on so that people can use their brain effectively. The Brainstem’s midbrain, pons, and medulla oblongata all make up it’s functions and they all control the body physically. Damage can easily be done to such a small area of the brain but there are many projects where scientists are researching its abilities and neuron networks. The Brainstem isn’t just a part of the Brain it’s also a part of your personality and actions.