Lateral hypothalamus
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| Brain: Lateral hypothalamus | ||
|---|---|---|
| Lateral hypothalamus is 'LT', at right, in yellow. | ||
| MeSH | A08.186.211.730.385.357.300 | |
| Dorlands/Elsevier | z_01/12870112 | |
The Lateral hypothalamus is a part of the hypothalamus. It can refer to one of two terms that are easily confused:
- "Lateral hypothalamic area" (NeuroNames hier-409)
- "Lateral zone of hypothalamus" (NeuroNames ancil-316)
The Lateral hypothalamic area is part of the Lateral zone of hypothalamus.
The Lateral hypothalamus is concerened with hunger. Damage to this can cause reduced food intake.
[edit] How It Works
The glucostatic explanation is based on the homeostatic theory which indicates that the body has balanced states of equilibrium for each system. When out of balance, the body will be pushed to restore balance. Therefore, when the blood sugar level drops, the glucostatic receptors in the blood take a message to the lateral hypothalamus, which is the feeding center of the brain. This causes certain neurons in the brain to fire in unison, creating the sensation of hunger. Now the person wants to eat.
When the glucose level increases because the person is eating or has eaten, the glucostatic receptors in the blood then send a message to the Ventro-medial Hypothalamus (the satiety or satisfaction center) and the sensation of fullness occurs.
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| Diencephalon - edit |
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third ventricle, interventricular foramina, optic chiasm, subfornical organ epithalamus: pineal body, habenula, habenular nuclei anterior hypothalamus: anterior hypothalamic nucleus, paraventricular nucleus, preoptic area, supraoptic nucleus, suprachiasmatic nucleus intermediate/middle/tuberal/pituitary hypothalamus: infundibulum, median eminence, arcuate nucleus, ventromedial nucleus, dorsomedial hypothalamic nucleus, tuber cinereum, pituitary gland (anterior pituitary, posterior pituitary) posterior/lateral hypothalamus: posterior nucleus, mammillary body, lateral nucleus subthalamus: subthalamic nucleus thalamus: pulvinar, medial geniculate nucleus, lateral geniculate nucleus, list of thalamic nuclei |
