KINESIOL 1Y03 Chapter Notes -Cranial Nerve Nucleus, Inferior Colliculus, Medulla Oblongata
6 Feb 2013
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Document Summary
The cns develops from a flat plate of ectodermal tissue, the neural plate on the dorsal surface of the embryo, influence in part by the underlying rod shaped notochord. Three brain regions can be identified in the early embryo: a forebrain, or prosencephalon, a midbrain, or mesencephalon, and a hindbrain or rhombencephalon. During development, the forebrain divides into the telencephalon, which becomes the cerebrum, and the diencephalon. The midbrain remains as a single structure, but the hindbrain divides into the metencephalon, which becomes the pons and cerebellum, and the myencephalon, which become the medulla oblongata. The medulla oblongata, pons and midbrain constitute the brainstem. The brainstem connects the spinal cord to the remainder of the brain and is responsible for many essential functions. Damage to small brainstem areas often causes death because many reflexes essential for survival are integrated in the brainstem, whereas relatively large areas of the cerebrum or cerebellum may be damaged without life-threatening consequences.
