ALPHABETICAL BRAIN VOCABULARY Flash Card #48 - Details WHAT DOES THE "RETICULAR FORMATION" IN YOUR BRAINSTEM DO AND WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT? Your RETICULAR FORMATION, which is in your BRAINSTEM, can either "activate" (increase) or "suppress" (decrease) the nerve "impulses" (or signals) in the SENSORY nerve tracts coming up in your spinal cord to the rest of your brain. This part of your BRAINSTEM connects your FRONTAL LOBES and LIMBIC SYSTEM and "sense organs" so you can be aroused quickly to save your life from dangerous situations or suspected threats against your life. Return to #48: RETICULAR FORMATION or LIST OF BRAIN FLASH CARDS