Hypothalamus

Functions include:
3. Control of the ANS
4. Mediates limbic output
5. Neuroendocrine control
Ventral brain surface
 Anatomical Considerations

• Anatomically part of the diencephalon

• Rostrally: optic chiasm, lamina terminalis
• Caudally: the mammillary bodies
• Third ventricle divides hypothalamus
medially
• Dorsal: Anterior commissure
Coronal section - Hypo
 Medial vs. lateral
• Fornix divides medial and lateral
hypothalamus.
• Medial areas are cellular
• Lateral areas contain less cells and have
a bundle of fibers- the medial forebrain
bundle (MFB) that traverses the region
on the way to the forebrain.
 Rostral vs. Caudal
• There are also several rostral-caudal
divisions: vary according to author but
all agree on (from rostral to caudal):
• Preoptic region
• Tuberoinfundibular region
• Mammillary region
 Hypothalamic Nuclei
• Preoptic (Lat & Med. PON)
• Anterior hypothalamic (AHN) Preoptic region

• Suprachiasmatic (SCN)
• Paraventricular (PVN)
• Supraoptic (SON)
Tuberoinfundibular
• Arcuate (ARC) region
• Ventromedial (VMN)
• Dorsomedial (DMN)
• Posterior (PHN), Tuberomamm. n., Mamm. Bod.
Mammillary region
(Nose)
 Functions of nuclei I
• PON: Controls parasympathetic system
• AHN: Control parasympathetic system
and temperature regulation (heat).
• SON: Vasopressin - Osmotic balance
• PVN: Oxytocin – Lactation, maternal
behavior
 Functions of nuclei II
• VMN, DMN – Satiety (food intake seems to
be regulated by neurons in the lateral
hypothalamus. Recent data suggests role in
food entrainment (DMN)
• Posterior hypothalamic nucleus – temperature
regulation (cold).
• ARC – ovulation
• Mammillary nuclei- limbic relay
 Functions of nuclei III
• SCN : Master
circadian clock

•LHA – Hypocretins (aka Orexins) and the

Hcrtr-2 : Arousal state regulation, minor role
in control of food intake
•Melanin concentrating hormone : Potent
regulator of food intake in LHA
 Sexual dimorphism
• Several hypothalamic nuclei have been
demonstrated (rat, mostly) to differ
between the sexes.
• Also the VMN and POA are involved in
sexual behavior in experimental animals.
 Volume or size
Male > Female Female > Male

Medial preoptic nucleus Anteroventral

Periventricular nucleus

Sexually dimorphic nucleus of Corpus callosum Midsagittal

the preoptic area area
Anterior commissure

Supraoptic nucleus

Ventromedial nucleus

* SCN – elongated in females, more

spherical in males
 Limbic Afferents
• Hippocampus- via fornix: Major output of
the limbic system
• Fimbria crus  body  column pre-and
post-commissural fornix.
• Amygdala- two fiber paths*:
• Stria terminalis
• Ventral amygdalofugal pathway
4. Olfactory – via MFB
*reciprocal
 Other Afferents
1. Visceral and somatic- via the lemniscal
system
2. Cortex – frontal lobe
3. Brainstem – 5-HT and NE fibers on
their way to the forebrain give off
collaterals to the hypothalamus
4. Retina & Geniculate body (IGL) – to
SCN (Retino- and geniculohypothalamic
tracts)
 Limbic efferents
1. Mammillothalamic tract (MT) forms
part of the Papez circuit- to anterior
thalamic n.
2. Amygdala:
• Stria terminalis
• Ventral amygdalofugal pathway
 Prefrontal
cortex
Motivational
Processing Association Memory
cortex
Processing
Cingulate
gyrus

Anterior Hippocampus
thalamic
nuclei

Mammillary body

Hypothalamus

Brain stem
 Brainstem Efferents
1. Brainstem:
• Mammillotegmental tract – to brain
stem reticular formation.
• Descending fibers project to the
brainstem and spinal cord to influence
ANS activity.
 Efferents to pituitary
Neuroendocrine connection
2. Posterior pituitary via nerve fibers that
pass through the infundibular stalk.
3. Anterior pituitary via the hypophyseal
portal system. Neurons project their
axons to the capillary bed in the median
eminence, which empties into vessel that
forms a second capillary bed in the
anterior pituitary.
Anterior vs. Posterior Pituitary
 Posterior Pituitary Hormones
• Oxytocin and Vasopressin are made in
the cell bodies of the SON and PVN.
• SON and PVN project their axons
through the infundibular stalk to the
posterior pituitary.
• Vasopressin (FX):vasoconstriction,
water resorption by kidneys
• Oxytocin (FX): Uterine contraction and
milk ejection
 Anterior Pituitary
• Transmitters synthesized in the tuberal
hypothalamus and project to the
capillary loops of the median eminence.
• Referred to “releasing” or “inhibiting”
factors depending on the effect on the
pituitary.
• All are peptides
• Note: many pituitary hormones control
other endocrine glands.
 Hypothalamic Peptides
• CRH- releases ACTH
• TRH –releases TSH
• PRH – releases prolactin
• PIH – inhibits prolactin
• GN-RH (LH-RH) – releases FSH and LH
• GH-IH (somatostatin) – inhibits GH
• GH-RH – releases GH
 Hypothalamic connections
• Limbic are reciprocal.
• Brainstem are reciprocal.
• Pituitary- unidirectional.
• It is very difficult to separate the
intrahypothalamic connections because
the nuclei are so close together.
 Summary-Hypothalamus
• Controls the ANS through it’s
brainstem and spinal cord connections.
• Controls the endocrine system through
it’s pituitary connections.
• Is considered to be the major outflow
of the limbic system, which in turn can
alter the ANS and endocrine systems.