ABSTRACT
Many texts complicate definitions by discussing the 'brainstem'. The brainstem is a cross-structural definition and includes the midbrain and parts of the hindbrain (the medulla and the pons). The brainstem is found, in some form, in all vertebrates. It is responsible for much of the physiological housekeeping of the body, including feeding and drinking. The brainstem has many organizational similarities to the spinal cord with which it is connected. For instance, motor pathways pass through the ventral part of the brainstem, while sensory inputs ascend in the dorsal brainstem.
