Neural structures in the womb: brain stem & cerebellum
- The brain stem is the structure that connects the brain to the spinal cord and the cerebellum
- It is responsible for many key functions such as:
- consciousness
- breathing
- blood pressure,
- sleep
- heart rate
- Key functions are found in the autonomic nervous system:
- These are functions that you don’t have control over
- Key autonomic functions are involuntary e.g. digestion occurs when food is taken in, sleep will eventually overwhelm you even if you are trying to stay awake
- The brain stem is one of the first areas of the brain to develop and - unlike other areas of the brain which govern higher-order functions (e.g. thinking) - it does not continue to develop further
- The brain stem must be fully formed for other functions to develop as it is the communication route in which the autonomic nervous system operates
- The cerebellum is vital in terms of movement and balance
- It coordinates bodily movements, maintaining posture, muscle tone and voluntary actions
- The cerebellum uses sensory information, for example:
- It receives messages from the eye muscles about environmental conditions the message could be, ‘I need more light to read by’ the cerebellum can then adjust head movement by turning towards the light source
- The cerebellum also plays a role in some cognitive functions e.g. language and memory
- It takes longer for the cerebellum to develop than the brain stem and is not complete in humans until they reach two years old (Van Essen et al. 2020)
Exam Tip
There is a lot of terminology involved in this topic but don’t panic! Keep a glossary of key terms and just keep visiting them, practise the spelling, link them to brain areas on a diagram and you will be word-perfect by the time of the exam