Introduction
This is the first assignment in the class, where we are to choose a relatively complicated term in our field of study and introduce it to our teammates.
Term:Medulla Oblongata
Introduction
The assignment is to define a term using multiple formats such as sentence, parenthetical and expanded definitions. The definition must be written so that non-technical readers, in this case, my writing group, can understand the term Medulla Oblongata, a small region of the brainstem.
Parenthetical Definition:
The Medulla Oblongata (a region of the human brain) is responsible for controlling one’s automatic processes and vital functions of the body.
Sentence definition:
The Medulla is the lowest portion of the brainstem that plays a significant role in controlling one’s heartbeat, breathing, and automatic processes.
Expanded definition:
Figure 1
What is the Medulla
The Medulla Oblongata resides inside the midbrain, immediately above the spinal cord and is connected to the pons and through the foramen magnum, an opening at the bottom of your skull by a nerve called the cranial nerves (britannica.com, n.d.; Cleveland Clinic, n.d.). The Medulla is involved in controlling vital functions that keep an organism alive (Britannica, n.d.). For instance, it helps regulate metabolism; regulates the rate and force of the heartbeat and the sizing of blood vessels; it adjusts the basic rhythm of breathing through inhalation and expiratory areas (Cleveland Clinic, n.d.). Messages are transmitted through the reticular formation which are clusters of interconnected neurons (nerve cells) that help neurons transmit motor and sensory impulses down and up the spinal cord (Britannica, n.d.). This is why we quickly pull our hands away when we touch something hot. The reticular formation is made out of both myelinated (White Matter) and unmyelinated (Grey Matter) nerve fibres. White matter is axons which are wrapped around by a fatty tissue known as the (Myelin sheath). The Grey Matter is called the Somas (cell bodies where the organelles reside). The Medulla is divided into two main compartments: the ventral medulla (the frontal portion) and the dorsal medulla (the rear portion; also known as the tegmentum).
Etymology:
The word Medulla comes from the Greek word myelos which means marrow,” and Medulla Oblongata comes from the Greek word enkephalos which means Brain.
History
First discovered by Julien Jean-Cesar Levallois in 1806, the Medulla is a structure closely related to the brain and that the Medulla is an anatomically important region of the brain (Bolano, 2020). The brain region was discovered during a procedure removing the cortexes and cerebellum from rabbits. Levallois found that even though the regions were removed, (cortex and cerebellum) the rabbits continue to breathe (Bolano, 2020); however, once he removed a specific section of the medulla, the rabbits’ respiration stopped immediately. Thus, it is to say that the Medulla oblongata is the region that controls repository functioning and for necessary survival.
Figure 2
Example:
George, a fifteen-year-old student, visits the hospital complaining of headaches and unprovoked seizures. The doctor then takes him to the radiology room for a CT Scan to see what is going on and finds out that there’s a small tumour in his Medulla and tells his parents that “George has a malignant tumour called Medulloblastoma in the lower part of his brain known as the Medulla. Its primary function is for controlling his breathing and all his body functioning. He will need surgery since we found it early, he will need intensive chemotherapy and radiation for treating his cancer”.
Bolano, A. (2020, March 4). Functions Of The Medulla Oblongata. Science Trends. Retrieved June 6, 2022, from https://sciencetrends.com/functions-of-the-medulla-oblongata/
Britannica.com. (n.d.). medulla oblongata | Description, Anatomy, & Function. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved June 6, 2022, from https://www.britannica.com/science/medulla-oblongata
Cleveland Clinic. (n.d.). Medulla Oblongata: What It Is, Function & Anatomy. Retrieved June 7, 2022, from
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/23001-medulla-oblongata#function
@Neurochallenged. (n.d.). Know Your Brain: Medulla Oblongata. Retrieved June 6, 2022, from https://neuroscientificallychallenged.com/posts/know-your-brain-medulla-oblongata