The Hypothalamus
The Hypothalamus
The hypothalamus is a small, but extremely important part of the brain. It is also known as the brain’s brain. It controls many different aspects of the body, and it is no larger than the size of a golf ball. This remarkable piece of the brain does so many different things for the body, so let’s study it.
The Hypothalamus controls aspects of the endocrine, autonomic, and behavioral functions. (1) The hypothalamus controls the release of 8 major hormones, temperature regulation, control of food and water intake, sexual behavior, and emotional responses. It is made up of a large number of nuclei and fiber tracts.(1) Some of these fiber tracts are ill defined, and have no known function. Some other fiber tracts and nuclei have been studied in detail, and have known functions, such as controlling hormone release.
The hypothalamus is in the ventral-most part of the brain. It is part of the diencephalon. It is located on ethier side of the third ventrical, sort of half way into the brain.
The hypothalumus has three main regions. First is the Supraoptic region. This region is located just above the optic chiasm. It also has a large number of know nuclei and fiber tracts. The supraoptic region controls the release of hormones into the body. It is also considered the region that may contain the "biological clock." This region also regulates certain body functions, including the menstrual cycle, hunger, and body temperature.
The next main region of the hypothalamus is the Tuberal region. It is commonly divided into medial and lateral parts by a plane passing through the fornix. The fornix is a fiber tract that originates from the main hippocampus. This region is located near the temperal lobe, and tracts in a C-shape near the lateral ventrical. This region contains nuclei that control eating. One major nuclei in this section of the hypothalamus is the Ventromedial nucleus. This nuclei is very large, and it's most important function is to control
The hypothalamus is a small, but extremely important part of the brain. It is also known as the brain’s brain. It controls many different aspects of the body, and it is no larger than the size of a golf ball. This remarkable piece of the brain does so many different things for the body, so let’s study it.
The Hypothalamus controls aspects of the endocrine, autonomic, and behavioral functions. (1) The hypothalamus controls the release of 8 major hormones, temperature regulation, control of food and water intake, sexual behavior, and emotional responses. It is made up of a large number of nuclei and fiber tracts.(1) Some of these fiber tracts are ill defined, and have no known function. Some other fiber tracts and nuclei have been studied in detail, and have known functions, such as controlling hormone release.
The hypothalamus is in the ventral-most part of the brain. It is part of the diencephalon. It is located on ethier side of the third ventrical, sort of half way into the brain.
The hypothalumus has three main regions. First is the Supraoptic region. This region is located just above the optic chiasm. It also has a large number of know nuclei and fiber tracts. The supraoptic region controls the release of hormones into the body. It is also considered the region that may contain the "biological clock." This region also regulates certain body functions, including the menstrual cycle, hunger, and body temperature.
The next main region of the hypothalamus is the Tuberal region. It is commonly divided into medial and lateral parts by a plane passing through the fornix. The fornix is a fiber tract that originates from the main hippocampus. This region is located near the temperal lobe, and tracts in a C-shape near the lateral ventrical. This region contains nuclei that control eating. One major nuclei in this section of the hypothalamus is the Ventromedial nucleus. This nuclei is very large, and it's most important function is to control