Brain, brainstem. Computer artwork of a human brain in profile within a glass-effect male head, showing the location of the brainstem and central brain structures (red). The brainstem (lower centre of brain) connects the brain to the spinal cord. It consists of the medulla oblongata, pons and the midbrain. The brainstem functions in attention, arousal and consciousness. Deep in the centre of the brain are the thalamus and basal ganglia, which relay sensory and motor information between the cerebral cortex and brainstem. The hypothalamus, which regulates temperature and appetite, and the pituitary gland, which produces hormones, are also located in this central area.