As you are listening to a lecture, workers are repairing a wall just outside your classroom. Throughout the class, you find yourself coughing and sneezing because of the dust and fumes in the air. Which brain structure controls such vital reflexes as sneezing, coughing, and swallowing?
A) the corpus callosum
B) the cerebellum
C) the medulla
D) the thalamus

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The medulla is a part of the brainstem and controls many vital reflexes, including coughing, sneezing, and swallowing. It would be responsible for initiating these reflexes in response to the irritants in the air from the ongoing repairs outside the classroom. The corpus callosum is responsible for communication between the two hemispheres of the brain, the cerebellum is primarily responsible for fine motor control and coordination, and the thalamus relays sensory information to the appropriate parts of the brain for processing. None of these structures would be primarily responsible for the reflexes in question.

As You Are Listening to a Lecture, Workers Are Repairing