science

Hindbrain

Hindbrain is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Hindbrain rather than just read about it. In short: The hindbrain, rhombencephalon (shaped like a rhombus) is a developmental categorization of portions of the central nervous system in vertebrates. It includes the medulla, pons, and cerebellum.

Key takeaways

Hindbrain belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Hindbrain to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Hindbrain from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The hindbrain, rhombencephalon (shaped like a rhombus) is a developmental categorization of portions of the central nervous system in vertebrates. It includes the medulla, pons, and cerebellum. Together they support vital bodily processes.

Metencephalon Rhombomeres Rh3-Rh1 form the metencephalon. The metencephalon is composed of the pons and the cerebellum; it contains:

a portion of the fourth (IV) ventricle, the trigeminal nerve (CN V), abducens nerve (CN VI), facial nerve (CN VII), and a portion of the vestibulocochlear nerve (CN VIII).

Myelencephalon Rhombomeres Rh8-Rh4 form the myelencephalon. The myelencephalon forms the medulla oblongata in the adult brain; it contains:

a portion of the fourth ventricle, the glossopharyngeal nerve (CN IX), vagus nerve (CN X), accessory nerve (CN XI), hypoglossal nerve (CN XII), and a portion of the vestibulocochlear nerve (CN VIII).

Evolution The hindbrain is homologous to a part of the arthropod brain known as the sub-oesophageal ganglion, in terms of the genes that it expresses and its position in between the brain and the nerve cord. It has been suggested that the hindbrain first evolved in the urbilaterian—the last common ancestor of chordates and arthropods—between 570 and 555 million years ago.

Hindbrain diseases A rare brain disease of the cerebellum is rhombencephalosynapsis characterized by an absent or partially formed vermis. Symptoms can include truncal ataxia. The disorder is a main feature of Gomez-Lopez-Hernandez syndrome.

References

Further reading Ishak, Gisele E.; Dempsey, Jennifer C.; Shaw, Dennis W. W.; Tully, Hannah; Adam, Margaret P.; Sanchez-Lara, Pedro A.; Glass, Ian; Rue, Tessa C.; Millen, Kathleen J.; Dobyns, William B.; Doherty, Dan (May 2012). "Rhombencephalosynapsis: a hindbrain malformation associated with incomplete separation of midbrain and forebrain, hydrocephalus and a broad spectrum of severity". Brain. 135 (5): 1370–1386. doi:10.1093/brain/aws065. PMC 3338925. PMID 22451504. Tully, Hannah M.; Dempsey, Jennifer C.; Ishak, Gisele E.; Adam, Margaret P.; Mink, Jonathan W.; Dobyns, William B.; Gospe, Sidney M.; Weiss, Avery; Phillips, James O.; Doherty, Dan (December 2013). "Persistent figure-eight and side-to-side head shaking is a marker for rhombencephalosynapsis: Persistent Head Shaking". Movement Disorders. 28 (14): 2019–2023. doi:10.1002/mds.25634. PMC 5510988. PMID 24105968. Poretti, Andrea; Alber, Fabienne Dietrich; Bürki, Sarah; Toelle, Sandra P.; Boltshauser, Eugen (January 2009). "Cognitive outcome in children with rhombencephalosynapsis". European Journal of Paediatric Neurology. 13 (1): 28–33. doi:10.1016/j.ejpn.2008.02.005. PMID 18407532. Bell, B; Stanko, H; Levine, R (July 2005). "Normal IQ in a 55-year-old with newly diagnosed rhombencephalosynapsis". Archives of Clinical Neuropsychology. 20 (5): 613–621. doi:10.1016/j.acn.2005.02.003. PMID 15905069. Paprocka, Justyna; Jamroz, Ewa; Ścieszka, Ewa; Kluczewska, Ewa (2012). "Isolated rhomboencephalosynapsis – a rare cerebellar anomaly". Polish Journal of Radiology. 77 (1): 47–49. doi:10.12659/PJR.882587. PMC 3389961. PMID 22802865.

External links

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Hindbrain

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Hindbrain claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Hindbrain before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Hindbrain ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Hindbrain

In research: Hindbrain appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Hindbrain in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Hindbrain is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Brainstem, Embryology of nervous system, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Hindbrain outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Hindbrain in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Hindbrain means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Hindbrain out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Hindbrain in simple terms?

The hindbrain, rhombencephalon (shaped like a rhombus) is a developmental categorization of portions of the central nervous system in vertebrates. It includes the medulla, pons, and cerebellum.

Why does Hindbrain matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Hindbrain?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Hindbrain.