The midbrain and the hindbrain · Biology Class 11–12 | StemPy Lab
Course 17.2·Lesson 2 of 3
The midbrain and the hindbrain
The midbrain lies between the forebrain and the hindbrain. A canal, the cerebral aqueduct, passes through it, and four swellings called the corpora quadrigemina lie on its back. The hindbrain has the pons, the cerebellum and the medulla. The medulla controls breathing and the reflexes of the heart, and it joins the spinal cord.
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The midbrain
The midbrain lies between the thalamus and hypothalamus of the forebrain and the pons of the hindbrain.
A canal called the cerebral aqueduct passes through the midbrain.
On its back (dorsal) side there are four round swellings, or lobes, called the corpora quadrigemina. The name means four bodies.
The hindbrain
The hindbrain has three parts.
The pons is made of fibre tracts. They join different regions of the brain. The word pons means bridge.
The cerebellum has a very convoluted surface. The folds give room for many more neurons.
The medulla, also called the medulla oblongata, is connected to the spinal cord. It holds the centres that control respiration, cardiovascular reflexes and gastric secretions.
A labelled section down the middle of the human brain, with the face on the left. The large cerebrum has a folded surface, and the corpus callosum is a curved band of fibres inside it. Under the corpus callosum lie the thalamus and, below it, the hypothalamus. The midbrain lies below the thalamus and hypothalamus, with the cerebral aqueduct passing through it and the corpora quadrigemina on its back surface. The hindbrain lies below the midbrain: the pons, the cerebellum at the back with a very folded surface, and the medulla oblongata, which joins the spinal cord. Colours group the parts into the forebrain, the midbrain and the hindbrain.
NCERT says that the midbrain and the hindbrain form the brain stem. Some other books name the midbrain, the pons and the medulla as the brain stem, and they leave out the cerebellum. In an NCERT based test, follow NCERT.
The cerebellum helps to coordinate movement and to keep the body balanced. NCERT does not state this for the cerebellum, so it is for A-Level and IB, and it is not in the NEET syllabus.
You should find that the jobs of the body that cannot stop, such as breathing, belong to the medulla. You should also find that three of the six parts in the list are in the forebrain.
A summary of the brain
Region
Parts
Forebrain
cerebrum, thalamus, hypothalamus
Midbrain
corpora quadrigemina, cerebral aqueduct
Hindbrain
pons, cerebellum, medulla
Try it in Python
The program stores the parts of the brain and finds the region of a part.
Practise with new numbers
Common mistakes
Putting the pons in the midbrain. The pons is in the hindbrain.
Saying that the medulla lies above the pons. The medulla is the lowest part and joins the spinal cord.
Saying that the cerebral aqueduct is in the hindbrain. It passes through the midbrain.
Giving the centres of breathing to the pons. NCERT places the centres for respiration, cardiovascular reflexes and gastric secretions in the medulla.
Calling the corpora quadrigemina three bodies. The name means four bodies, and there are four.
Remember these
Midbrain: cerebral aqueduct, corpora quadrigemina (four lobes on the back).
Hindbrain: pons (fibre tracts), cerebellum (convoluted, many neurons), medulla (respiration, cardiovascular reflexes, gastric secretions; joins the spinal cord).
NCERT: the midbrain and the hindbrain form the brain stem.
Check yourself
Try each one on your own first. If you are stuck, open a hint. Then check with Show the answer.
Which canal passes through the midbrain?
What are the corpora quadrigemina, and where are they?
Why is the surface of the cerebellum so convoluted?
Which part of the brain has centres for respiration, cardiovascular reflexes and gastric secretions?
Name the three parts of the hindbrain, and say which one is made of fibre tracts that join different regions of the brain.
References
Clark M. A., Douglas M. and Choi J. (2018). Biology 2e, OpenStax, chapter 35, The Nervous System, section 35.3.
Betts J. G. et al. (2022). Anatomy and Physiology 2e, OpenStax, chapter 13, Anatomy of the Nervous System.
NCERT (2023). Biology, Textbook for Class XI, chapter 18.
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