SR Roy
Last Activity: 7 Years ago
ince the medulla oblongata is part of the brain stem which connects your brain to your spinal cord, it’s integral to a lot of pretty important functions. Do you like swallowing? You can thank your medulla oblongata for that. You may not like sneezing, coughing, and vomiting but those are things you can’t escape doing as a human – and the medulla oblongata is responsible for all of those.
The medulla oblongata is also responsible for really important functions like breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure. A lot of the processes this region is responsible for are carried out without conscious input. When was the last time you tried to make your body regulate its own blood flow? Hopefully never because your body does it anyway. Being responsible for both the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system – which controls your fight and flight responses respectively – is no easy task but of course your medulla oblongata can handle it.
Since by now you’ve realized how important the medulla oblongata is, you’re probably wondering what happens when it’s damaged.
Since the medulla oblongata is responsible for a lot of involuntary body processes like breathing and pumping blood throughout your body, damage from trauma to the head can cause death or at the very least force someone to go on life support.