brainstem

or brain stem

[ breyn-stem ]

noun

1. 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

/ ˈbreɪnˌstɛm /

noun

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

brainstem

/ brān′stĕm′ /

1. 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.
2. See also reticular formation

Word History and Origins

Origin of brainstem¹

First recorded in 1875–80; brain + stem ¹

Example Sentences

The locus coeruleus, an area of the brainstem, synthesizes the stress hormone norepinephrine.

From Popular-Science

They knew how to trigger these retinal and brainstem neurons to pass electrical impulses—information, essentially—by projecting spots of light.

From Nautilus

You say we really have two brains—the brainstem and the cortex.

From Nautilus

The cortex borrows, as it were, its consciousness from the brainstem.

From Nautilus

He makes a convincing case for paying more attention to the “densely knotted core of the brainstem.”

From Washington Post

Brain death implies the complete and permanent absence of neurological function in the cortex and the brainstem.

From The Daily Beast