That Neuroscience Guy - Neuroscience Bites-The Hypothalamus

Episode Date: October 12, 2022

Next in our series of Neuroscience Bites, we discuss the hypothalamus; a brain area important for autonomic functions like sleep and hormones. 

Hi, my name is Olov Krigolson and I'm a neuroscientist at the University of Victoria. And in my spare time, I'm that neuroscience guy. Welcome to another neuroscience bite. For this bite, I'm going to focus on the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus, like the thalamus, is another midbrain structure. If you remember about the thalamus from last week, the thalamus is basically a relay station. Well, the hypothalamus is quite different. It's a control center, and specifically a low-level control center. So it's in the brainstem, and if you go on the blog on thatneuroscienceguy.com,

there's a picture of the hypothalamus and a quick listing of its basic functions. But in brief, like I said, it's a low-level control center. So the hypothalamus plays a part or is a part of the limbic system. And the limbic system is an older name that's still used, but it's basically your midbrain system that includes the emotional response that you have to things. Now, the hypothalamus has a list of functions that it controls. So first of all, it controls the pituitary gland, the thyroid gland, and that ties it into blood pressure and control of blood pressure. The hypothalamus also plays a role in autonomic control. So specifically the sympathetic and the

parasympathetic nervous system. I'm going to talk about the sympathetic and the parasympathetic nervous system on a future bite, but effectively what these are, these are the things that either slow up your heart rate or speed down your heart rate. The hypothalamus plays a role in temperature regulation, so making sure that your body maintains a good level of homeostasis. The hypothalamus plays a role with fluid balance. It's basically what tells you when you're thirsty and you need more water. Related to that, the hypothalamus also plays a role in eating control. It basically is what makes you feel hungry when you need to feel hungry.

It plays a role in the sleep and wake cycle, specifically the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus. But basically, it's what tells you to go to bed and what tells you when it's time to wake up. If you're rested and you're getting good sleep, hygiene, and health, then the hypothalamus should wake you up in principle around about the same time every day. And it should tell you to go to bed around about the same time every day. The hypothalamus is also tied to our sexual responses that happen naturally, and it controls that aspect of our emotional system. And it's also a linking part.

While it's not quite the junction that thalamus is, it does play a key role in tying together other parts of the limbic system. For instance, the hippocampus in the thalamus and a couple of the glands that I've mentioned. So there's a little bit on the hypothalamus. Another cool brain region, the take-home message, low-level control of a bunch of different body systems, which I will list on the blog. Thank you so much for listening. Remember, check out our website, thatneuroscienceguy.com. There's links to our Etsy store. There's links to Patreon. And of course, there's the blog where you can find out information about these brain

regions. And I'll post that each day, each Wednesday when we do a neuroscience bite. My name is Olav Kurgolsen, and I'm that neuroscience guy. Thanks so much for listening, and I'll see you on Sunday for another full episode of the podcast.