HYPOTHALAMUS

Portion of the anterior end of the

diencephalon – lies below the hypothalamic
sulcus
 Nuclear areas
• Pre-optic area – Medial & Lateral preoptic Nuclei

• Supra-optic area – Supra-optic, Suprachiasmatic,

Paraventricular & Anterior N.

• Tuberal area – Ventromedial, lateral, dorsomedial

& Arcuate N.

• Mamillary area – Posterior N, mamillary body

 Connections of Hypothalamus
Afferent & Efferent:

a) Medial Forebrain Bundle:

Limbic lobe Lateral Hypothalamus Midbrain

b) Fornix:

Hippocampus Mamillary body

 Afferent connections

• Amygdala Hypothalamus (Stria terminalis)

• Locus ceruleus Hypothalamus

(Nor-adrenergic neurons)

• Raphe N. Hypothalamus (Serotonergic

neurons)

• Retino hypothalamic fibers

 Efferent connections
• Mamillary body Anterior N. of
thalamus

• Mamillary body Reticular

portions of midbrain

• Hypothalamus Posterior
pituitary gland
Functions of Hypothalamus
 I. Relation to Autonomic Functions

• Sherrington called the hypothalamus

“the head ganglion of the autonomic system”

• Stimulation of hypothalamus produces autonomic

responses – part of complex phenomenon such as eating,
rage and other emotions

• Stimulation of lateral areas – diffuse sympathetic

discharge &  sympathetic discharge
II. Regulation of Body Temperature
a) Posterior Hypothalamus – Heat gain center
Stimulation - Shivering
Lesion – Body temperature of the animal falls
toward that of environment

b) Anterior Hypothalamus – Heat loss center

Stimulation – Cutaneous vasodilation & Sweating
Lesion - Hyperthermia
 III. Regulation of Body water
  effective osmotic pressure of plasma
  ECF volume  water intake
IV. Regulation of Food intake &
Body weight
a) Glucostatic Hypothesis:

• Feeding Center: Lateral Hypothalamus

Stimulation – Evokes eating behavior
Lesion – Severe, fatal anorexia

• Satiety center: Ventromedial nucleus

Stimulation – Cessation of eating
Lesion – Hyperphagia, hypothalamic obesity
 Regulation of Food intake &
Body weight – Contd.
b) Lipostatic hypothesis:
 Regulation of Food intake &
Body weight – Contd

c) Gut Peptide Hypothesis:

Food in GIT release of polypeptides

(CCK, Glucagon…) CCK acts on
hypothalamus inhibit food intake
V. Control of Anterior Pituitary
Secretion
VI. Control of Posterior Pituitary
Secretion
 VII. Control of Body Rhythms

• Most of the Circadian rhythms are

controlled by Suprachiasmatic nucleus

• Fibers from the optic chiasma

suprachiasmatic nucleus
(Retinohypothalamic fibers)
 VIII. Behavioral Functions

Defensive reactions (fear, rage…), Sexual

behavior – in limbic system and
hypothalamus