Function?
2007-01-20 18:20:31 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Medicine
The Medulla oblongata is responsible for controlling several major autonomic functions of the body, including respiration, blood pressure, heart rate, and reflex arcs.
hope this helps u
2007-01-20 18:27:50 · answer #1 · answered by For peace 3 · 6⤊ 1⤋
also called medulla the lowest part of the brain and the lowest portion of the brainstem. The medulla oblongata is connected by the pons to the midbrain and is continuous posteriorly with the spinal cord, with which it merges at the opening (foramen magnum) at the base of the skull.
Like the cerebrum and cerebellum, the medulla consists of both myelinated (white matter) and unmyelinated…
Medulla Oblongata
Along with the cerebellum and the pons, the medulla oblongata makes up that portion of the brain called the hindbrain. So necessary are the functions of the medulla oblongata that with its loss comes instant death. Lying crossways between the higher brain and the body, it controls several basic autonomic functions including respiration. Located on the lowest portion of the brain stem it looks like the swollen tip of the spinal chord.
Not only does it serve as the main conduit for nerve impulses that enter and leave the higher neural systems, it also functions as the pathway for communication between the right and left hemispheres.
It is within the medulla that both the sensory and motor neurons from each hemisphere cross over. This is why the right hemisphere controls the left side of the body and visa versa. As one of the most primitive areas of the brain, it regulates some of the more basic functions required for life. These include the involuntary processes of swallowing and digestion as well as breathing. It also regulates the heartbeat and the diameter of certain blood vessels-thus controlling blood flow. One could consider it the master control center for the autonomic nervous system. Partnered with the cerebellum it controls movement and along with the thalamus, it regulates states of arousal and sleep.
2007-01-20 20:51:09 · answer #2 · answered by sakura ♥ 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It controls Autonomic Functions and relays Nerve Signals Between the Brain and Spinal Cord
2007-01-20 18:39:06 · answer #3 · answered by kawaiisuzakuwarrior 4 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Causes dfficulty to the students of Physiology when answering questions by virtueof its spelling and then its functions.
:)
2007-01-21 00:21:16 · answer #4 · answered by d_sco 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
controls autonomic functions, relays info from brain and spinal cord
2007-01-20 18:26:02 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 1⤋