Hypothalamic

Hypothalamus
Location of the human hypothalamus
Location of the hypothalamus, in relation to the pituitary and to the rest of the brain
Details
Identifiers
Latin	hypothalamus
MeSH	A08.186.211.730.385.357
NeuroNames	hier-358
NeuroLex ID	Hypothalamus
TA	A14.1.08.401 A14.1.08.901
FMA	62008
Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy []

The hypothalamus (from Greek ὑπό, "under" and θάλαμος, thalamus) is a portion of the brain that contains a number of small nuclei with a variety of functions. One of the most important functions of the hypothalamus is to link the nervous system to the endocrine system via the pituitary gland (hypophysis).

The hypothalamus is located below the thalamus and is part of the limbic system. In the terminology of neuroanatomy, it forms the ventral part of the diencephalon. All vertebrate brains contain a hypothalamus. In humans, it is the size of an almond.

The hypothalamus is responsible for 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 pituitary hormones. The hypothalamus controls body temperature, hunger, important aspects of parenting and attachment behaviors, thirst,fatigue, sleep, and circadian rhythms.