(brayn stem)

The part of the brain that is connected to the spinal cord. The brain stem is in the lowest part of the brain (just above the back of the neck) and is made up of the midbrain, pons, and medulla oblongata. It controls many vital functions, such as breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure, and the nerves and muscles used in seeing, hearing, walking, talking, and eating.

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• Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG)

Figure

Anatomy of the brain. The supratentorial area (the upper part of the brain) contains the cerebrum, lateral ventricle and third ventricle (with cerebrospinal fluid shown in blue), choroid plexus, pineal gland, hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and optic nerve. (more...)