Myelencephalon

The myelencephalon is the part of the fetal brain that develops into the medulla oblongata and connects the brain to the spinal cord.

The myelencephalon is the location that contains cells that are responsible for respiration, heart rate, blood pressure, swallowing, and vomiting. This is also the location of many fibers of passage that are huge bundles of axons which transmit information between the brain and the rest of the body. If brain injury or damage occurs here there are major health consequences due to the number of basic body functions that arise there.