Area postrema

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The area postrema is a part of the brain that controls vomiting. It was discovered in 1953 by Utah Pharmacologists Herbert L. Borison and S. C. Wang [1].

It is located in the lateral reticular formation of the medulla oblongata. More specifically, it is located between the funiculus separans (a narrow translucent ridge cossing the ala cinerea) and the clava, as a small tongue-shaped area.

The Area postrema, one of the circumventricular organs, detects toxins in the blood and acts as a vomit inducing center. It connects to the Nucleus of the Solitary Tract and other autonomic control centres in the brainstem. It is thus excited by visceral afferent impulses (sympathetic and vagal) arising from the gastrointestinal tract and other peripheral trigger areas.

• Diagram at endotext.org
• Slide at upenn.edu

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