hypothalamus
Sign in to saveThe hypothalamus (: hypothalami; ) is a small part of the vertebrate brain that contains a number of nuclei with a variety of functions. One of the most important functions is to link the nervous system to the endocrine system via the pituitary gland. The hypothalamus is located below the thalamus and is part of the limbic system. It forms the basal part of the diencephalon. All vertebrate brains contain a hypothalamus. In humans, it is about the size of an almond.
AI overview
The hypothalamus is a small, almond-sized part of your brain that acts as a bridge between your nervous system and your endocrine system (which produces hormones), primarily through its connection to the pituitary gland. This makes it crucial for coordinating many of your body's essential functions.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Key facts
- Brain.IsPartOf
- Brain
- Brain.Name
- Hypothalamus
- Brain.Latin
- hypothalamus
- Brain.Image
- Hypothalamus.jpg
- Brain.Caption
- Location of the human hypothalamus
- Brain.Image2
- Hypothalamus_Pituitary_Complex_diagram.png
- Brain.Caption2
- Location of the hypothalamus (cyan) in relation to the pituitary and to the rest of the brain
via Wikipedia infobox
Article
22 sectionsContents
- Structure
- Nuclei
- Connections
- Sexual dimorphism
- Responsiveness to ovarian steroids
- Development
- Function
- Hormone release
- Stimulation
- Olfactory stimuli
- Blood-borne stimuli
- Steroids
- Neural
- Control of food intake
- Fear processing
- Learning arbitrator
- Additional images
- See also
- Notes
- References
- Further reading
- External links
The hypothalamus (: hypothalami; ) is a small part of the vertebrate brain that contains a number of nuclei with a variety of functions. One of the most important functions is to link the nervous system to the endocrine system via the pituitary gland. The hypothalamus is located below the thalamus and is part of the limbic system. It forms the basal part of the diencephalon. All vertebrate brains contain a hypothalamus. In humans, it is about the size of an almond.
The hypothalamus has the function of regulating certain metabolic processes and other activities of the autonomic nervous system. It synthesizes and secretes certain neurohormones, called releasing hormones or hypothalamic hormones, and these in turn stimulate or inhibit the secretion of hormones from the pituitary gland. The hypothalamus controls body temperature, hunger, important aspects of parenting and maternal attachment behaviours, thirst, fatigue, sleep, circadian rhythms, and is important in certain social behaviors, such as sexual and aggressive behaviors.