Myelencephalon

Myelencephalon Afterbrain
Diagram depicting the main subdivisions of the embryonic vertebrate brain. These regions will later differentiate into forebrain, midbrain and hindbrain structures
Details
Identifiers
Latin	Myelencephalon
MeSH	A08.186.211.132.810.406
NeuroNames	hier-695
TA	A14.1.03.003
FMA	62004
Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy []

The myelencephalon or afterbrain is the most posterior region of the embryonic hindbrain, from which the medulla oblongata develops.

During fetal development, divisions of the neural tube that give rise to the hindbrain (rhombencephalon) and the other primary vesicles (forebrain and midbrain) occur at just 28 days after conception. With the exception of the midbrain, these primary vesicles undergo further differentiation at 5 weeks after conception to form the myelencephalon and the other secondary vesicles.

Final shape differentiation of the myelencephalon into the medulla oblongata can be observed at 20 weeks gestation.

The medulla oblongata is part of the brain stem that serves as the connection of the spinal cord to the brain. It is situated between the pons and the spinal cord.

The medulla oblongata is responsible for several functions of the autonomic nervous system. These functions include:

1) Respiration: monitors the acidity of the blood and sends electrical signals to intercostal muscle tissue to increase their contraction rate in order to oxygenate the blood as needed.

2) Cardiac & Vasomotor Center: monitors and regulates cardiovascular activities by:

3) Reflexes

Because of its location in the brainstem and its many important roles in the autonomic nervous system, damage to the medulla oblongata is usually fatal.