Mesencephala

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A part of the brainstem involved in functions such as vision, hearing, motor control, sleep and wakefulness, arousal, and temperature regulation
2. The midbrain region situated between the forebrain and hindbrain that contributes to sensory processing and movement coordination
3. A central brain area that acts as a relay station for auditory and visual information and plays a role in controlling eye movements and body posture

Etymology: "Mesencephala" is the plural of "mesencephalon," the anatomical term for the midbrain, the region sitting between the forebrain and hindbrain. The name is a plain Greek-based compound: "mes-" meaning "middle," joined to "encephalon," from Greek "enkephalos," literally "in the head" (en, "in," plus kephalē, "head"). So the word simply describes its location: the middle part of the brain. The plural form is what anatomists use when discussing more than one of these structures, most often in the paired sense, since the midbrain contains two symmetrical halves. Its relay roles for sight and hearing, and its part in steering eye movements and posture, are reflected in its anatomy, though the name itself records only position.

Synonyms: midbrain