he midbrain is an area of the brain that, as you might have guessed, is in the middle of two other regions: the forebrain and the hindbrain. The forebrain is the 'front' (fore) brain and is composed of the cerebral cortex, the area that most people think of as the 'brain'; it's the 'supercomputer' of the human body. The hindbrain, or 'back' (hind) brain, is composed of the cerebellum and the pons and the medulla oblongata (or medulla, for short) of the brainstem; it is evolutionarily the oldest part of our brain, controlling primal instincts and automated actions of the body, such as our 'fight or flight' response and heart rate.

The midbrain, on the other hand, acts most notably as the information superhighway connecting these two regions. It enables your brain to integrate sensory information from your eyes and ears with your muscle movements, thereby enabling your body to use this information to make fine adjustments to your movements.