Brainstem

Brainstem

1. Connects cerebrum, diencephalon, and cerebellum to spinal cord

2. 3 components

   • Midbrain
     • conduit "highway' for nerve impulses
     • Components of midbrain
       • Cerebral penduncle - motor tracks
       • Reticular formation - alertness/wakefulness
       • Cerebral aqueduct- connects 3rd & 4th ventricles
       • Houses CN3 & CN5
       • Tectum
         • Pair of superior colliculi
           • visual reflexes and tracking
         • Pair of inferior colliculi
           • auditory reflexes
     • Alertness and motor control of peripheral muscles
   • Pons
     • Sensory & motor tracks connecting brain to spinalcord
     • Cranial nerve nuclei
       • Nuclei for CN5 - CN8
   • Medulla Oblongata
     • continuous w/ spinal cord
     • Incl sensory & motor tracks connecting the brain to the spinal cord