In this video, I’d like to examine the brain stem in a few different views. Let’s start with the ventral surface where we can see all 3 parts of the brain stem. This is the midbrain, the pons, and the medulla oblongata, also known as the medulla. Let’s look into the transverse fissure, which is in between the cerebrum and the cerebellum. These four bumps make up the dorsal surface of the midbrain. This area is called the corpora quadrigemina. The corpora quadrigemina is made up of the two superior colliculi, which are visual reflex centers, and the two inferior colliculi, that relay auditory information to the sensory cortex and are involved in reflexive responses to sound. Lastly, let’s take a look at the brain stem in a midsagittal section. Here’s the transverse fissure and just anterior to the transverse fissure is the superior portion of the brain stem, a region called the midbrain. We can see a superior colliculus. Here is the cerebral aqueduct which is contained within in the midbrain. Here is a cerebral peduncle, which means little foot of the cerebrum. Inferior to the midbrain is pons. The pons contains two-way conduction tracts connecting higher brain centers to the spinal cord. Here is the medulla, which is the most inferior part of the brain stem. This region regulates basic life functions, such as heart rate and respiration. The medulla is continuous with the spinal cord.