# A patient is admitted to hospital after a brain injury. Doctors observe that the patient is having difficulty controlling their breathing rate and heart rate, but their memory and ability to speak appear to be unaffected. Explain which regions of the brain are likely to have been damaged and which regions are likely to be unaffected, referring to the functions of each region in your answer.

> WJEC A-Level Biology (Wales) — 4.1 Reproductive biology · Explain · 5 marks

## Mark scheme (5 marks)

1. The medulla oblongata controls breathing rate and/or heart rate (non-voluntary/autonomic functions)
2. The medulla oblongata is the region that is damaged / affected by the injury
3. The cerebrum / cerebral cortex is responsible for memory and/or language / speech
4. The cerebrum / cerebral cortex is unaffected / undamaged because memory and speech are intact
5. The cerebellum controls coordinated movement / posture / balance (and is not mentioned as affected, so likely undamaged OR correctly identified as separate from the affected functions)

## Related

- [Revision notes for WJEC A-Level Biology (Wales)](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/learn)
- [How to answer "Explain" questions](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/tools/command-word-cheatsheet)
- [Practice this with AI marking (free)](https://www.gradenine.co.uk/start)

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