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hypothalamus
Structure:
- the ventral & medial region of the diencephalon forming the walls of the ventral 1/2 of the 3rd ventricle
- it is delineated from the thalamus by the hypothalamic sulcus
- it lies medially to the internal capsule on either side
- it is continuous with the pre-commissural septum anteriorly & with the mesencephalic tegmentum & periaqueductal gray matter posteriorly
- on its ventral surface is the optic chiasm, the infundibulum that extends to the posterior lobe of the pituitary by its stalk & the paired mammillary bodies.
The hypothalamus consists 5 areas, each containing specific nuclei:
1) anterior area
2) dorsal area
3) intermediate area
4) lateral area
5) posterior area
Afferents:
1) mesencephalon (midbrain)
2) limbic system
3) cerebellum
4) also under endocrine influence
Efferents:
1) mesencephalon (midbrain)
2) limbic system
3) cerebellum
4) posterior pituitary
5) a functional (endocrine) connection with the anterior pituitary via the hypothalamic-pituitary portal system
Function:
1) autonomic nervous system
2) endocrine system
a) secretion of releasing hormones which travel through the pituitary stalk to the anterior pituitary to stimulate release of anterior pituitary hormones (in parentheses)
1] corticotropin-releasing hormone (ACTH)
2] gonadotropin-releasing hormone (FSH & LH)
3] thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TSH)
4] growth hormone-releasing hormone (GH)
b) efferents from the supraoptic nucleus & the paraventricular nucleus travel through the pituitary stalk to synapse in the posterior pituitary facilitating secretion of oyxtocin & vasopressin
3) regulation of mood
4) motivation
5) satiety
6) temperature regulation (site of thermoregulatory center)
Pathology:
- hypothlaamus may play a role in regulation of aging through NF-kappaB, IKK & GnRH-regulated pathways implicated in inflammation [3]
Related
anterior pituitary (adenohypophysis)
hypothalamic-pituitary-portal circulation
posterior pituitary (neurohypophysis)
General
brain structure
References
- Stedman's Medical Dictionary 27th ed, Williams &
Wilkins, Baltimore, 1999
- Medical Knowledge Self Assessment Program (MKSAP) 16,
American College of Physicians, Philadelphia 2012
- Cai D et al
Hypothalamic Programming of Systemic Aging Involving IKK
NF-kB and GnRH.
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-05/aeco-brm042913.php
- Zhang G, Li J, Purkayastha S, Tang Y
Hypothalamic programming of systemic ageing involving IKK-beta,
NF-kappaB and GnRH.
Nature. 2013 May 1
PMID: 23636330
- Gabuzda D and Yankner BA.
Physiology: Inflammation links ageing to the brain.
Nature 2013 May 9; 497:197.
PMID: 23636321
Component-of
diencephalon
limbic system
Components
hypothalamus anterior
hypothalamus lateral
hypothalamus middle
hypothalamus posterior
median eminence of hypothalamus
tuber cinereum
tuberomammillary nucleus
Images
images related to hypothalamus