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Autonomic Nervous System: This system connects the brain stem and spinal cord with internal organs and regulates internal body processes that require no conscious effort. Examples are the rate of heart contractions, blood pressure, the rate of breathing, the amount of stomach acid secreted, and the speed at which food passes through the digestive tract.
source:http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec06/ch098666/ch098666a.html
Wiki User
∙ 15y ago
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoYes, the medulla oblongata is the portion of the hindbrain that controls autonomic functions such as breathing, digestion and heart rate.
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What is the function of the medulla oblongata?
The medulla oblongata is the most vital part of the brain because it is the control center for breathing, blood pressure and heart beat among other involuntary body functions not under conscious control. Because these functions are necessary for human life, damage to the medulla oblongata can be fatal. There is only one medulla oblongata in the brain. The medulla connects the brain and the spinal cord, and is the lower half of the brainstem. Respiration - chemoreceptors Cardiac center - sympathetic, parasympathetic system Vasomotor center - baroreceptors Reflex centers of vomiting, coughing, sneezing, and swallowing
What part of the brain controls your heart beat?
The adrenal medulla is the part of the brain responsible for the release of adrenaline, when the adrenaline is released into the blood, the SAN is stimulated to work faster and increase your heart rate, this happens when playing sport or during your fight or flight response. However, the heart is not controlled by your brain as it is a myogenic muscle (self-exciting) this means that if you were to remove the heart from a body it would continue to beat. The sino-atrial node is responsible for the excitation of the heart. :) Hope this helps. Steph :)
Is your heart beat and breathing based fully on involuntary impulses from the brain?
Technically your heart is controlled by self-exiting cells in the sinoatrial node in the right atrium. The medulla oblongata in the brain stem influences the rate of contraction but without it the heart can still beat. Hormones from the adrenal medulla above the kidneys as well as various other stretch and pressure receptors throughout the body influence the heart rate and breathing. The lungs not only move O2 in and CO2 out but they control temperature of the body, return of blood back to the heart and acid-base balance of the blood. They are also part of hormone cycles that regulate blood pressure and control the level of fluids in the body. In short, with all the triggers for adjustment of the heart rate and repertory rate the brain is needed for over all supervision and coordinates. It is the boss, it does not always do the job directly, but it makes sure it gets done.
Does your heart have a hole in it if you have asthma?
No, asthma and a hole in the heart relate to separate orgins. Ashmta is only affected by breathing and if there is a lack of breathing it will in turn effect the heart.
How can you influence your heart rate consciously?
By properly learned breathing exercises taught to you by a professional ONLY! People who suffer from anxiety can learn to control their breathing if they hyperventilate. Speak to your doctor and find a professional who can teach you to control rapid breathing.
Can you survive a shot to the medulla oblongata?
If the shot misses or causes only minor damage to vital parts of the brain, then yes it's possible.
What happens to the heart when it is relaxed?
Systole is the contraction of the heart. Diastole is the relaxation of the heart.
An AED should be used on a child who is not breathing?
AEDs should only be used when a pulse is not detected. Rescue breathing should be used when the victim is not breathing.
What does brainstem have to do with heart rate?
The brainstem has a part named the medulla oblongata, which controls the natural, life necessary functions, such as heart beat. This is commonly believed to be the only part of the brain that perople need to survive.
How can you slow your heart rate to breathe underwater?
imagine how you usually breathe..... ....do that, only slower.
Do you control about 640 muscles?
The only way to control your muscles is by using the nervous system. Some are voluntary muscles which means you have to think to make them move others are involuntary muscles and work without your thoughts. For example: your digestive tract, your breathing (but you can interfere at times with this one) and your heart.
Do you suffocate when your heart stops beating?
Breathing has both an automatic (involuntary) and a voluntary control. Of course, you don't have to voluntarily inhale and exhale consciously in order to stay alive; a part of the brain called the brainstem takes care of that. You can, of course control voluntarily the muscles you use for breathing (ie. the diaphragm and the intercostals), which is essential for speech, and many other activities. The rhythm of the heart is not given by the brain. It comes from the heart's own pacemaker, a small node of special heart muscle called the sinus node or sinoatrial node. What the brain does is only the regulation of the heart rate. When you are relaxed, your heart beats slower, when excited, faster. But the heart is totally automatic: it keeps beating even after totally being separated from the nervous system (which is exactly the case in transplanted hearts). Of course, the heart needs oxygen, and plenty of it. But, it can keep beating for quite a few minutes without breathing. This is what makes resuscitation possible sometimes even after more than 15 minutes of no breathing and heartbeat. While the heart can keep beating for some time after the breathing stops, the reverse is practically not possible. Breathing is only possible with a functioning brainstem, and to keep the brainstem working, it needs blood full of oxygen. So, breathing usually stops seconds after the heart stops, and can be restarted only together with the heart during a cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
