Two patients arrive after accidents. Patient X has a small injury to the medulla…
Contributed by StemPy LabTry it on paper first. A hint, the key idea and the worked solution are here when you need them.
Two patients arrive after accidents. Patient X has a small injury to the medulla. Patient Y has a small injury to the association areas of the cerebral cortex.
- Which patient is more likely to stop breathing, and why?
- Which patient is more likely to have trouble with memory and speech?
- In an NCERT based test, which regions of the brain form the brain stem?
- A student says that a small injury to the pons would stop the heart reflexes at once. Is this the best answer?
Need a reminder? The key ideaShow
The midbrain has the cerebral aqueduct and the four corpora quadrigemina. The hindbrain has the pons (fibre tracts), the cerebellum (convoluted, many neurons) and the medulla (centres for respiration, cardiovascular reflexes and gastric secretions, joined to the spinal cord). NCERT says that the midbrain and the hindbrain form the brain stem.
The worked solution
Have you tried it?
Work it out on paper first. It is fine to get stuck or make a mistake: that is how we learn. When you are ready, go through the solution one step at a time, and check each step against your own.
Step 1. (a) Patient X. The medulla has the centres for respiration and for cardiovascular reflexes, and these keep the person alive.
Step 2. (b) Patient Y. The association areas of the cortex handle memory and communication.
Step 3. (c) NCERT says that the midbrain and the hindbrain form the brain stem.
Step 4. (d) No. The pons joins different regions of the brain by fibre tracts. The centres for the heart reflexes are in the medulla.
Answer: (a) X, medulla; (b) Y, association areas; (c) midbrain and hindbrain; (d) no, the centres are in the medulla.
Watch out. The medulla is a small part, but it is more important to life than a much larger part of the cortex.
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