All parts of the brain › Balance

What part of the brain controls balance?

No single part: balance is mainly the job of the cerebellum and of the vestibular nuclei in the brainstem (in the pons and medulla), which receive the inner ear’s balance signals and send corrections to the eyes, the spinal cord, the cerebellum and the thalamus. [1][2]

The 3D brain needs JavaScript. The list of parts still says what each one does for balance.

Slice

All 8 parts are lit together. Drag to turn, pinch or scroll to zoom, tap a part on the brain or a name in the list to focus it; .

Balance: 8 parts lit

Cerebellum, brainstem, pons, medulla oblongata, midbrain, thalamus, insula and occipital lobe. Tap one to see where it is and what it does.

The parts and their roles

Its flocculonodular lobe, called the vestibulocerebellum, works mainly on balance and spatial orientation, and its main connections are with the vestibular nuclei. [2] Where is the cerebellum?
Holds the vestibular nuclei, the first stop in the brain for signals from the inner ear’s balance organs, along the floor of the fourth ventricle. [1] Where is the brainstem?
Anatomists place the four vestibular nuclei (superior, lateral, medial and spinal) in the pons and the medulla. [1] Where is the pons?
Its share of the vestibular nuclei sends fibres down the vestibulospinal tract to the spinal cord to coordinate head and trunk movements, giving quick reflexes of limbs and trunk to regain balance. [1][3] Where is the medulla oblongata?
Fibres from the vestibular nuclei climb to the oculomotor nucleus in the midbrain, which drives eye muscles; this is part of the reflex that keeps your view steady while your head moves. [1][4] Where is the midbrain?
Balance signals reaching the thalamus support head and body motor control and awareness of body position; it also relays the cerebellum’s output on to the motor cortex. [3][2] Where is the thalamus?
The part of the cerebral cortex that processes vestibular (balance) sensations extends into the insula. [5] Where is the insula?
Vision gives balance its reference for upright and for where you are relative to objects; the primary visual cortex that first processes sight lies in the occipital lobe. [6][7] Where is the occipital lobe?

How they work together

Balance combines three senses: the vestibular organs of the inner ear, proprioception from the joints, and vision. [6]
In the inner ear, the three semicircular canals sense turning of the head and the otolith organs sense straight-line acceleration, including gravity. [3]
The vestibulo-ocular reflex keeps images still on the retina while the head moves. It does not depend on seeing, so it works in the dark (try reading this line while shaking your head: the words stay readable). [3]
Vestibular signals also reach the cerebellum, which keeps that reflex accurate over time, a kind of learning called adaptation. [3]
Honest limit: the vestibular projections to the cerebral cortex are spread over several areas and are not clearly understood, so no single “balance cortex” can be lit. [3]

Sources

Facts describe anatomy and normal function only. A part lit here takes part in balance; it does not do it alone, and it does other jobs too. The 3D model is the adult male BodyParts3D brain (credits and licence); on it the brainstem includes the midbrain, pons and medulla, so lighting the brainstem lights all three.