hindbrain
Back of skull
The hindbrain is the lower rear portion of the brain, comprising the cerebellum, pons, and medulla oblongata.
It controls basic life functions like breathing, heart rate, and balance.
In casual or figurative use, acting on your hindbrain means operating on instinct rather than conscious thought: My hindbrain was screaming danger before I knew why.
Innermost organ tissue
- cerebellumMovement coordination organ
- ponsBrainstem relay station
- fourth ventricleHindbrain cerebrospinal reservoir
- cranial nervesTwelve brainstem-emerging neural pairs
nuclei · neural tube · white matter · gray matter · choroid plexus
Steadiness or amount owed
- coordinationOrganized cooperative movement
- postureBody position, alignment
- respirationGas exchange in organisms
- heart rateCardiac contractions per minute
blood pressure · swallowing · vomiting · coughing · sneezing · sleep regulation · arousal · muscle tone
Remaining alive against odds
- fight-or-flightAcute threat reaction
- autonomicSelf-regulating without awareness
- subconsciousBelow conscious awareness
- innateExisting since birth
primal · visceral · involuntary · automatic · unlearned · hardwired · self-preservation · arousal
Of one's forebears
- phylogenyEvolutionary relationships among organisms
- vertebrateSpinal column animal
- conservedKept from being used up
- ancientVery old indeed
homologous · ontogeny · basal
Throat's protective contraction
- startle responseInvoluntary reaction to surprise
- sucklingUnweaned infant mammal
- salivationMouth producing digestive fluid
- hiccuppingSpasmodic diaphragm contractions
medulla
Innermost organ tissue
- cerebellumMovement coordination organ
- ponsBrainstem relay station
- fourth ventricleHindbrain cerebrospinal reservoir
cranial nerves · nuclei · neural tube · white matter · gray matter · choroid plexus
balance
Steadiness or amount owed
- coordinationOrganized cooperative movement
- postureBody position, alignment
- respirationGas exchange in organisms
heart rate · blood pressure · swallowing · vomiting · coughing · sneezing · sleep regulation · arousal · muscle tone · eye movement
survival
Remaining alive against odds
- fight-or-flightAcute threat reaction
- autonomicSelf-regulating without awareness
- subconsciousBelow conscious awareness
innate · primal · visceral · involuntary · automatic · unlearned · hardwired · self-preservation · arousal · alertness
ancestral
Of one's forebears
- phylogenyEvolutionary relationships among organisms
- vertebrateSpinal column animal
- conservedKept from being used up
ancient · homologous · ontogeny · basal
gag reflex
Throat's protective contraction
- startle responseInvoluntary reaction to surprise
- sucklingUnweaned infant mammal
- salivationMouth producing digestive fluid
- neuroanatomycerebellum, cerebral cortex, thalamus, hypothalamus, medulla
- brain partscerebellum, hippocampus, thalamus, hypothalamus, cerebrum
- fish anatomygills, fins, tail, eye, pelvic fins
- lizard brainfight or flight, survival instincts, fear response, instinctive behavior, self-preservation
- Bird Brainpallium
hindbrainforebrain
Rostral brain division
cerebrum · neocortex · cerebral cortex · frontal lobe · prefrontal cortex