Short answerModerate1 mark
3(b)
State the main functions of the following:
Medulla Oblongata
Topic: Medulla oblongata
Previous-year question practice database
Answer
Exam answer
The medulla oblongata controls the INVOLUNTARY activities of the body — the heartbeat, the rate of breathing, the diameter of the blood vessels, swallowing, coughing, sneezing, vomiting and the secretion of saliva.
Explanation
Give at least two or three examples rather than the word "involuntary" alone.
It is called the VITAL CENTRE because the activities it governs cannot be interrupted — damage to it is fatal.
THE TEST that answers every brain question: is the action VOLUNTARY or INVOLUNTARY? Voluntary and conscious — CEREBRUM. Balance and coordination of movement — CEREBELLUM. Involuntary internal activity — MEDULLA OBLONGATA.
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