The Hindbrain

The brain is the most complex and mysterious part of the body. Despite the multiple research studies done, we are way far from completely understanding its functioning.
When we think about the brain, we usually think about the cerebral cortex. Few of us know that that, in fact, what most people believe is he brain (the cerebral cortex) is just a part of it. The brain is composed of many small parts that are very important.
First of all it is divided into three sections: the hindbrain, the midbrain, and the forebrain.

This time we are going to talk about the hindbrain.
The hindbrain is located in the posterior (towards the back of the head) part of the brain. It is composed of the medulla, pons, and cerebellum.

The medulla is like an extension of the spinal cord into the brain. the medulla controls some vital reflexes such as hearth rate, vomiting, sneezing, breathing, etc. As you may guess, damage to the medulla may be life threatening.

The pons is located anterior (towards the face) and ventral (towards the feet) to the medulla. This is very interesting because here is where the axons from the right side of the spinal cord cross to the left side of the brain and vice versa, making your left hemisphere able to control the right side of your body and your right hemisphere the left side of your body.

Last but not least we have the cerebellum. Before, we used to believe that the cerebellum's only function was for coordination and balance. However, our little friend is way more important. Research has proven that damage to the cerebellum affects the ability to alternate from visual to auditory stimuli. Besides, it also affects the sensory timing. Therefore, if your cerebellum has been injured/damaged/affected somehow, becoming a musician is probably not going to work for you.