BRAINSTEM Definition & Meaning

brainstem

or brain stem

[ breyn-stem ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

the portion of the brain that is continuous with the spinal cord and comprises the medulla oblongata, pons, midbrain, and parts of the hypothalamus, functioning in the control of reflexes and such essential internal mechanisms as respiration and heartbeat.

brainstem

/ ˈ��ɪ��ˌ��ɛ�� /

noun

the stalklike part of the brain consisting of the medulla oblongata, the midbrain, and the pons Varolii

brainstem

/ ��′��ĕ��′ /

The part of the vertebrate brain located at the base of the brain and made up of the medulla oblongata, pons, and midbrain. The brainstem controls and regulates vital body functions, including respiration, heart rate, and blood pressure.
See also reticular formation

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of brainstem¹

First recorded in 1875–80; brain + stem ¹

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

This area of the brainstem receives interoceptive input, or signals from the body about its internal state, like hunger, pain and fullness.

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Working with week-old zebrafish larva, researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and colleagues decoded how the connections formed by a network of neurons in the brainstem guide the fishes' gaze.

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Using mice, the researchers pinpointed a group of brain cells in the frontal cortex that connects to the brainstem, where vital actions like breathing are controlled.

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Axial symptoms, which have not received extensive study in relation to DBS, improved with stimulation of tracts connected to the supplementary motor cortex and brainstem.

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But everything we see is calculated to tickle the recesses of our brainstems.

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