What is Midbrain?

Midbrain, also called mesencephalon, is a small area of ​​the brain, which serves as a relay center for visual, hearing and motor system information. It is the front part of the brain stem and any disturbance of this area can cause irreversible damage and damage. Diseases most often associated with this area of ​​the brain are stroke, schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease.

structures that transmit visual and auditory input

tectum is a dorsal or roof, part of the midbrain and controls visual and hearing reflexes. It is divided into Corpora Quadrigemina , which consists of two superiors and two lower Colliculi . In anatomy, higher and inferior terms refer to the positions of structures, with higher structures located above inferior.

Colliculi are control centers for visual and auditory reflexes. Excellent are located under the thalamus and receive visual sensory entry zoculomotoric core, a bundle of nerves that join the eyes. Lower ColThe liculus is involved in the processing of auditory stimuli, which come from ears through a package of tiny nerves.

These check centers pass information that they receive Thalam, which in turn sends them to the cortex. There are nervous connections that allow the brain to decide how to act in response to the sensory information it receives. Tectum and four Colliculi are therefore the first step of the nervous path that determines how people react to what they see and hear.

structures that control the movement

It is located under the Colliculi, tegmentum is the lowest area of ​​the midbrain. It regulates autonomous function, those that the body performs without conscious thinking, such as digestion, heart rate and respiratory frequency. In addition to this part of this part of the brain, motor skills and basic awareness depend.

In this area is red core that is involved in engine coordination, and submStantia nigra , the largest brain center dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, a type of chemical that is necessary to move electrical signals between brain cells. This chemical has many roles in the brain and can affect behavior, sleep, mood and memory.

Nigra essential plays an important role in movement, learning and addiction. This area of ​​the brain consists of pars compacta and pars reticulate . These two regions cooperate as a type of district. Compacts Pars is an input part of the perimeter and adds dopamine to basal ganglia, an area that controls movement. Pars reticulation serves as an outlet part of the perimeter and transmits signals from basal ganglia to the rest of the brain.

Midbrain disease

Parkinson's disease is one of the most common middle brain disorders. This progressive disease develops when the nerve cells producing dopamine in the Pars Compacta die in large numbers. These nerve cells are important in regulating motor function and emotion and cell deathIt leads to symptoms such as tremor, physical instability and emotional changes. This disease is usually treated with drugs that provide other dopamine, but the participants have side effects and are not always effective. In some cases, the device may be placed in the brain to stimulate the movement -related areas and help control symptoms, but this is usually recommended only to patients who do not respond to medicines.

Midbrain, also called brain stroke, is less common than those that affect the anterior or medium brain arteries. Medium brain strokes usually affect the engine and the individual's sensor works includes speech, vision, body movement and feeling. They are usually the result of cardioembolism, obstruction of blood vessels inside or around the heart muscle. Damage is irreversible and treatment is focused on rehabilitation and preventing further stroke.

Midbrain can also be associated with some forms of mental diseases. Dopamine hypothesis of psychosis has developedAs scientists, they noted that dopamine production is often unusually high in people with certain mental diseases such as schizophrenia. There are several evidence to support this hypothesis, including the fact that some of the most effective drugs for the treatment of psychosis are those that reduce dopamine activity. Another strong evidence is that the nigra substantia, where most of the dopamine are produced, undergo structural and cellular changes in a person with schizophrenia.

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