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Hypothalamus: anatomy, location and function

The hypothalamus is a small diencephalic region that regulates homeostasis, autonomic function and endocrine control. It regulates body temperature, hunger, thirst, sleep-wake cycles and autonomic output, and controls the pituitary gland through hormones and neurosecretion. It is also involved in emotional and reproductive behaviour.

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Highlighted in the model: Hypothalamus. Click any part to read about it, or switch off “Highlight topic” to see the whole body. 3D data: BodyParts3D, © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0; meshes simplified and recoloured. The model is an adult male.

Hypothalamus at a glance

What it is
The hypothalamus is a small diencephalic region that regulates homeostasis, autonomic function and endocrine control.
Location
It lies below the thalamus, forming the floor and lower walls of the third ventricle, between the optic chiasm and the mammillary bodies.
Function
It regulates body temperature, hunger, thirst, sleep-wake cycles and autonomic output, and controls the pituitary gland through hormones and neurosecretion. It is also involved in emotional and reproductive behaviour.
Body system
Nervous · single, midline structure
FMA ID
FMA62008 (Foundational Model of Anatomy)

Key facts

  • Produces oxytocin and antidiuretic hormone, released from the posterior pituitary.
  • Releasing and inhibiting hormones reach the anterior pituitary through the portal system.
  • Contains the suprachiasmatic nucleus, the circadian pacemaker.
  • It weighs only about 4 g, less than 1% of the brain.

Clinical relevance

Hypothalamic lesions can cause disturbances of temperature, appetite, water balance or sleep.

Structures next to the hypothalamus

The nearest named structures in the 3D model, measured from the centre of each part:

References

  1. Foundational Model of Anatomy: Hypothalamus (FMA62008). EMBL-EBI Ontology Lookup Service.
  2. OpenStax. Anatomy and Physiology 2e, §12.1 Basic Structure and Function of the Nervous System. Rice University, 2022.
  3. Mitsuhashi N. et al. (2009). BodyParts3D: 3D structure database for anatomical concepts. Nucleic Acids Research 37, D782–D785. Data © The Database Center for Life Science, CC BY 4.0.

Related anatomy

Explore the whole body in the interactive 3D human anatomy model, or browse the A–Z list of human structures.