The medulla oblongata is a small but vital part of your brain located at the base of your skull, right where your brain connects to your spinal cord. Think of it as a bridge between your brain and the rest of your body.

This small region, about the size of your thumb, controls many of the automatic functions that keep you alive without you having to think about them. Your medulla oblongata manages your breathing, keeps your heart beating steadily, and controls your blood pressure. It also handles reflexes like coughing, sneezing, and swallowing. When you choke on water and automatically cough, that's your medulla oblongata protecting you.

Because the medulla oblongata controls such critical functions, damage to this area can be extremely serious or even fatal. This is why doctors take head injuries so seriously: they need to make sure structures like the medulla oblongata remain unharmed.

Scientists named it this because it looks like an elongated bulge at the top of the spinal cord. The medulla oblongata proves that some of the smallest parts of your body can be the most important.