For example, structures associated with cranial nerves in the pons contribute to:
Facial sensation
Chewing
Facial expression
Certain eye movements
Hearing
Balance
The pons also participates in networks involved in breathing and sleep-wake regulation. Importantly, it does not perform these jobs in isolation. Brain functions generally emerge from communication among interconnected neural circuits rather than from one structure working completely independently.
Cleveland Clinic
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The Medulla Oblongata
Below the pons lies the medulla oblongata, the lowest major part of the brainstem.
The medulla is involved in several autonomic functions — processes that the nervous system regulates largely without conscious control.
These include networks involved in:
Breathing
Heart-rate regulation
Blood-pressure regulation
Swallowing
Coughing
Sneezing
Vomiting and other protective reflexes
The important point is that these aren’t controlled by a single “button” inside the medulla. Rather, the medulla contains neural circuits that interact with the pons, spinal cord, higher brain regions, sensory inputs, and the autonomic nervous system.
NCBI
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This networked organization allows the body to continually adjust its responses to changing conditions.
The Spinal Cord: The Body’s Major Communication Pathway
The brainstem continues into the spinal cord, which is part of the central nervous system along with the brain.
The spinal cord carries information in both directions.
Sensory information from the body can travel toward the brain, while signals generated by the brain can travel toward muscles and other targets through descending pathways.
But the spinal cord isn’t simply an electrical cable.
It contains its own neural circuits capable of handling certain forms of information and coordinating reflexes. This allows some rapid responses to occur without requiring the brain to consciously plan every step.
MedlinePlus
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Together, the brain, brainstem, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves form an interconnected communication system.
What Is the Pyramidal Decussation?
One of the most recognizable structures shown in the illustration is the pyramidal decussation.
The pyramids are prominent structures on the front of the lower medulla that contain many descending motor fibers originating from the cerebral cortex.
Near the lower part of the medulla, many of these corticospinal fibers cross to the opposite side. This crossing is called the pyramidal decussation.
NCBI
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This helps explain an important feature of human neuroanatomy: voluntary motor control is largely organized so that the left cerebral hemisphere influences movement on the right side of the body, while the right hemisphere influences movement on the left.
However, this does not mean that every motor pathway crosses at the pyramidal decussation. The nervous system contains many different pathways with different anatomical routes.
Cranial Nerves and the Brainstem
The brainstem contains nuclei and pathways associated with most of the cranial nerves.
These nerves are responsible for a wide range of sensory and motor functions involving the head and neck.
Depending on the specific nerve and brainstem region involved, these functions include:
Eye movements
Facial sensation
Facial expression
Chewing
Hearing
Balance
Swallowing
Taste
Tongue movement
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