Hypothalamus

The hypothalamus can be found in all vertebrate brains, it is part of the limbic system and is located below the thalamus. Anatomically, the hypothalamus can be divided into the anterior, tuberal and posterior parts that contain several sub regions and clusters of neurons, so called nuclei. The different nuclei of hypothalamus are involved in different functions. One of the most important function of hypothalamus is the link between the brain and the endocrine system (pituitary gland), other examples of nuclei and functions are the anterior hypothalamic nucleus (involved in thermoregulation) and the suprachismatic nucleus (involved in the regulation of the circadian rhythms). The medial part involves the dorsomedial- (regulation of blood pressure and heart rate), ventromedial- (regulation of satiety) and arcuate nucleus (regulation of food intake, among others).

The identification of the different nuclei of the hypothalamus is difficult without labeling of specific proteins and neuronal subsets.