Taste and Other Visceral Sensory Inputs to the Hypothalamus
Ascending axons from the nucleus of the solitary tract travel through the brainstem, and a large proportion of them synapse in the parabrachial nucleus. From there, axons continue on to…
Somatosensory Inputs to the Hypothalamus
Somatosensory inputs are also important in sexual behavior. Neurons in the preoptic area promote erection in males, and nerve cells in the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus can potently drive…
Visual Inputs to the Hypothalamus
The retinohypothalamic tract originates from about 1,000 scattered retinal ganglion cells in each retina. In 2001, it was discovered that these retinal ganglion cells have the peculiar property of making…
Olfactory Inputs to the Hypothalamus
The glomeruli are on the surface of the olfactory bulb and are spherical areas, each about one third millimeter across. The outside of the glomerulus is lined with tiny periglomerular…
Hypothalamic Control of the Autonomic Nervous System
A second set of hypothalamic-autonomic neurons is found in the lateral hypothalamic area. These consist mainly of neurons containing orexin or melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) neurons, and sometimes the peptide cocaine-…
Overview of Hypothalamic Nuclei
At the most posterior end of the hypothalamus, the mammillary bodies form a prominent pair of protuberances along the base of the brain. Despite having very clear-cut, heavily myelinated connections,…
Hypothalamic Control of the Pituitary Gland
The magnocellular neurons consist of two clusters: the supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei. Each cell group contains both oxytocin (OXY) and vasopressin (VP) neurons. These cells secrete the hormones from their…
General Topography of the Hypothalamus
In general, the hypothalamus can be divided into three tiers of nuclei. Most medially, along the wall of the third ventricle, is the periventricular nucleus, shown here in green. Along…
Blood Supply of the Hypothalamus and Pituitary Gland
The anterior part of the hypothalamus, above the optic chiasm, is supplied by arterial feeding vessels from the anterior cerebral artery. These vessels densely penetrate the basal forebrain just in…
Development and Developmental Disorders of the Hypothalamus
First, the prechordal mesoderm that underlies the developing neural tube secretes sonic hedgehog (Shh) that induces the normal patterning of the anterior midline of the brain, including the formation of…
