News tagged with hypothalamus

A unique on-off switch for hormone production

Weizmann scientists have revealed a new kind of on-off switch in the brain for regulating the production of a main biochemical signal from the brain that stimulates cortisol release in the body.

Biology / Cell & Microbiology

created Feb 23, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Huntington's disease protein has broader effects on brain, study shows

In Huntington's disease, the mutant protein known as huntingtin leads to the degeneration of a part of the brain known as the basal ganglia, causing the motor disturbances that represent one of the most defining features ...

Medicine & Health / Medical research

created Apr 05, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Research finds the hormone of trust has limits

(PhysOrg.com) -- Oxytocin is a hormone produced by the hypothalamus in the brain, and has been shown to make people trust each other more and promote feelings of love. But this hormone has now been found to ...

Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry

created Jan 12, 2011 | popularity 4 / 5 (15) | comments 1 | with audio podcast report

Feast or famine: Researchers identify leptin receptor's sidekick as a target for appetite regulation

A study by researchers at Mayo Clinic's campus in Florida and Washington University School of Medicine adds a new twist to the body of evidence suggesting human obesity is due in part to genetic factors. While studying hormone receptors in laboratory m ...

Medicine & Health / Medical research

created Jan 11, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Love: it's all the same to the brain

(PhysOrg.com) -- There are no differences between heterosexuals and homosexuals or between women and men in terms of the brain systems regulating romantic love, according to new UCL research published in the ...

Medicine & Health / Neuroscience

created Jan 04, 2011 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (19) | comments 6 | with audio podcast

Researchers identify site in brain where leptin may trigger puberty

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have pinpointed a tiny site in the brain where the hormone leptin may help trigger the onset of puberty.

Medicine & Health / Medical research

created Dec 22, 2010 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

New insight into links between obesity and activity in the brain

Scientists have revealed that an anti-obesity drug changes the way the brain responds to appetising, high-calorie foods in obese individuals. This insight may aid the development of new anti-obesity drugs which reduce the ...

Medicine & Health / Neuroscience

created Oct 26, 2010 | popularity 4.1 / 5 (7) | comments 8 | with audio podcast

Orexin wakes up your brain by self-excitation mechanism

For advanced activities of our daily life (such as driving a car, or seeing a movie), to be awake is important. It has been known so far that neuropeptide in the brain called "Orexin" controls sleep and awakening besides ...

Medicine & Health / Neuroscience

created Sep 21, 2010 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

A case for exercising

There is now another good reason to exercise. Besides burning calories, exercise restores the sensitivity of neurons involved in the control of satiety (feeling full), which in turn contributes to reduced food intake and ...

Medicine & Health / Medical research

created Aug 24, 2010 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0

Study takes novel approach to understanding pituitary function

A Florida State University biologist and mathematician have joined forces to find out exactly how the brain oversees the secretion of the hormone prolactin from the pituitary gland, research that could lead ...

Medicine & Health / Medical research

created Aug 03, 2010 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Aging and longevity tied to specific brain region in mice

Researchers watched two groups of mice, both nearing the end of a two-day fast. One group was quietly huddled together, but the other group was active and alert. The difference? The second set of mice had ...

Medicine & Health / Neuroscience

created Jul 28, 2010 | popularity 5 / 5 (11) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Playing Fertility in a Different Key

(PhysOrg.com) -- Sometimes a couple can't get pregnant although anatomically everything seems normal. Emory reproductive endocrinologist Sarah Berga may be able to explain why: Stress.

Medicine & Health / Health

created Jul 13, 2010 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

The hormone IGF-1: A trigger of puberty

Puberty is triggered by pulsatile release of GnRH from specific nerve cells in the the brain. What signals tell these nerve cells to release GnRH in this manner has not been determined, although it has been suggested that ...

Medicine & Health / Medical research

created Jul 12, 2010 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Housing upgrade shrinks tumors in mice with cancer

When mice with cancer get a boost in their social life and an upgrade in living conditions, their tumors shrink, and their cancers more often go into spontaneous remission Reported in the July 9th issue of the journal Cell, these ...

Medicine & Health / Medical research

created Jul 08, 2010 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Protein must exist in specific brain cells to prevent diet-induced obesity

A protein found in cells throughout the body must be present in a specific set of neurons in the brain to prevent weight gain after chronic feeding on high-calorie meals, new findings from UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers ...

Medicine & Health / Neuroscience

created Jul 06, 2010 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Hypothalamus

The hypothalamus 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, (from Greek ὑποθαλαμος = under the thalamus) is located below the thalamus, just above the brain stem. In the terminology of neuroanatomy, it forms the ventral part of the diencephalon. All vertebrate brains contain a hypothalamus. In humans, it is roughly 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 neurohormones, often called hypothalamic-releasing hormones, and these in turn stimulate or inhibit the secretion of pituitary hormones. The hypothalamus controls body temperature, hunger, thirst, fatigue, and circadian cycles.

For more information about Hypothalamus, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.

Related topics: neurons , brain , obesity , food intake , nerve cells