NETTER - Neuroscience Flash Cards

Sections through the Rostral
Hypothalamus: Preoptic and
Supraoptic Zones
1. Head of the caudate nucleus
2. Column of the fornix
3. Anterior limb of the internal capsule
4. Third ventricle
5. Anterior commissure
6. Lateral preoptic area
7. Medial preoptic area
8. Substantia innominata
9. Optic chiasm
10. Periventricular nucleus
11. Paraventricular nucleus
12. Lateral hypothalamic area
13. Anterior hypothalamic area
14. Supraoptic nucleus
Comment: The major nuclei in the preoptic zone include the
medial and lateral preoptic nuclei, involved in the sleep-wake
cycle, thermoregulation, and other visceral functions. The organum
vasculosum of the lamina terminalis (OVLT) is a circumventricular
organ with no blood-brain barrier; neurons of the OVLT can release
prostaglandin E2, acting on distant structures of the nervous
system. The major nuclei of the supraoptic (anterior) zone include
the supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei (cells of origin for posterior
pituitary hormone synthesis, and for visceral autonomic regulation
and anterior pituitary regulation), the anterior hypothalamic area
(involved in autonomic regulation), and the lateral hypothalamic
area (involved in feeding and drinking behavior). Some regions
(paraventricular nucleus) have 20 or more chemically specific and
anatomically specific subsets of neurons with discrete projections
and visceral and neuroendocrine functions. These neuronal
subgroups may be intermingled at a single locale.
Systemic Neuroscience See book 16.3