Hypothalamus | You and Your Hormones from the Society for ...

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The hypothalamus is located on the undersurface of the brain. It lies just below the thalamus and above the pituitary gland, to which it is attached by a ... About Contact Events News Search Search Menu Students Teachers Patients Browse About Contact Events News Topicalissues PracticalInformation YouandYourHormones Students Teachers Patients Browse Search Humanbody Home Glands Hypothalamus Hypothalamus Thehypothalamusisapartofthebrainthathasavitalroleincontrollingmanybodilyfunctionsincludingthereleaseofhormonesfromthepituitarygland. Adrenalglands Kidneys Glossary AllGlands ResourcesforGlands Whereismyhypothalamus? Computerartworkofaperson'sheadshowingtheleftsideofthebrainwiththehypothalamushighlighted. Thehypothalamusislocatedontheundersurfaceofthebrain.Itliesjustbelowthethalamusandabovethepituitarygland,towhichitisattachedbyastalk.Itisanextremelycomplexpartofthebraincontainingmanyregionswithhighlyspecialisedfunctions.Inhumans,thehypothalamusisapproximatelythesizeofapeaandaccountsforlessthan1%oftheweightofthebrain.  Whatdoesmyhypothalamusdo? Oneofthemajorfunctionsofthehypothalamusistomaintainhomeostasis,i.e.tokeepthehumanbodyinastable,constantcondition. Thehypothalamusrespondstoavarietyofsignalsfromtheinternalandexternalenvironmentincludingbodytemperature,hunger,feelingsofbeingfullupaftereating,bloodpressureandlevelsofhormonesinthecirculation.Italsorespondstostressandcontrolsourdailybodilyrhythmssuchasthenight-timesecretionofmelatoninfromthepinealglandandthechangesincortisol(thestresshormone)andbodytemperatureovera24-hourperiod. Thehypothalamuscollectsandcombinesthisinformationandputschangesinplacetocorrectanyimbalances. Whathormonesdoesmyhypothalamusproduce? Therearetwosetsofnervecellsinthehypothalamusthatproducehormones. Onesetsendsthehormonestheyproducedownthroughthepituitarystalktotheposteriorlobeofthepituitaryglandwherethesehormonesarereleaseddirectlyintothebloodstream. Thesehormonesareanti-diuretichormoneandoxytocin.Anti-diuretichormone causeswaterreabsorptionatthekidneysandoxytocinstimulatescontractionoftheuterusinchildbirthandisimportantinbreastfeeding. Theothersetofnervecellsproducesstimulatingandinhibitinghormonesthatreachtheanteriorlobeofthepituitaryglandviaanetworkofbloodvesselsthatrundownthroughthepituitarystalk. Theseregulatetheproductionofhormones thatcontrolthegonads,thyroidgland'data-content='1456'>thyroidglandandadrenalcortex,aswellastheproductionofgrowthhormone,whichregulatesgrowth,andprolactin,whichisessentialformilkproduction.Thehormonesproducedinthehypothalamusarecorticotrophin-releasinghormone,dopamine,growthhormone-releasinghormone,somatostatin,gonadotrophin-releasinghormoneandthyrotrophin-releasinghormone. Whatcouldgowrongwithmyhypothalamus? Hypothalamicfunctioncanbeaffectedbyheadtrauma,braintumours,infection,surgery,radiationandsignificantweightloss. Itcanleadtodisordersofenergybalanceandthermoregulation,disorganisedbodyrhythms,(insomnia)andsymptomsofpituitarydeficiencyduetolossofhypothalamiccontrol. Pituitarydeficiency(hypopituitarism) ultimatelycausesadeficiencyofhormonesproducedbythegonads,adrenalcortexandthyroidgland,aswellaslossofgrowthhormone. Lackofanti-diuretichormoneproductionbythehypothalamuscausesdiabetesinsipidus.Inthisconditionthekidneysareunabletoreabsorbwater,whichleadstoexcessiveproductionofdiluteurineandverylargeamountsofdrinking.  Lastreviewed:Feb2018 Prev Adrenalglands Top Kidneys Next Tagsforthiscontent CoordinationandControl KeyStage4 Age14-16 RelatedGlands Pituitarygland Adrenalglands Kidneys Ovaries Pinealgland Testes Thyroidgland ViewallGlands RelatedEndocrineConditions Cushing'sdisease Diabetesinsipidus Gigantism Hypopituitarism Acromegaly Adult-onsetgrowthhormonedeficiency Childhood-onsetgrowthhormonedeficiency Addison'sdisease Hypothyroidism ViewallEndocrineconditions RelatedHormones Anti-diuretichormone Cortisol Gonadotrophin-releasinghormone Melatonin Oxytocin Prolactin Somatostatin Thyrotropin-releasinghormone Corticotrophin-releasinghormone ViewallHormones



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