HINDBRAIN

摘要

As its name suggests, the hindbrain is located at the base of the skull, just above the neck. Comparisons of different organisms suggest it was the first brain structure to have evolved, with its precursor emerging in the earliest vertebrates. In humans it is made up of three structures: the medulla oblongata, pons and cerebellum. The medulla oblongata is responsible for many of the automatic behaviours that keep us alive, such as breathing, regulating our heart beat and swallowing. Significantly, its axons cross from one side of the brain to the other as they descend to the spinal cord, which explains why each side of the brain controls the opposite side of the body.