Posterior nucleus of hypothalamus

Posterior hypothalamic nucleus
Posterior nucleus is 'PN', at right, in red.
Details
Part of	Hypothalamus
Identifiers
Latin	nucleus posterior hypothalami
NeuroNames	420
NeuroLex ID	birnlex_1463
TA98	A14.1.08.939
TA2	5738
FMA	62350
Anatomical terms of neuroanatomy [edit on Wikidata]

The posterior nucleus of the hypothalamus is one of the many nuclei that make up the hypothalamic region of the brain.

Its functions include elevation of blood pressure, pupillary dilation, and shivering or body heat conservation (thermoregulation).^[1] Damage or destruction of this nucleus causes hypothermia. Descending efferents from the nucleus synapse on the sympathetic neurons of the spinal cord, which exist in the thoracic and lumbar regions in the lateral horns.

Anatomy of the diencephalon of the human brain

Epithalamus

Surface	Pineal gland Habenula Habenular trigone Habenular commissure
Grey matter	Pretectal area Habenular nuclei Subcommissural organ

Thalamus

Surface	Stria medullaris of thalamus Thalamic reticular nucleus Taenia thalami
Grey matter/ nuclei	paired: AN Ventral VA/VL VP/VPM/VPL Lateral LD LP Pulvinar nuclei Metathalamus MG LG P cell M cell K cell midline: MD Intralaminar Centromedian Midline nuclear group Interthalamic adhesion
White matter	Mammillothalamic tract Pallidothalamic tracts Ansa lenticularis Lenticular fasciculus Thalamic fasciculus PCML Medial lemniscus Trigeminal lemniscus Spinothalamic tract Lateral lemniscus Dentatothalamic tract Acoustic radiation Optic radiation Subthalamic fasciculus Anterior trigeminothalamic tract Medullary laminae

Hypothalamus

Surface

Grey matter

Autonomic zones	Anterior (parasympathetic/heat loss) Posterior (sympathetic/heat conservation)
Endocrine	posterior pituitary: Paraventricular Magnocellular neurosecretory cell Parvocellular neurosecretory cell Supraoptic oxytocin/vasopressin other: Arcuate (dopamine/GHRH) Preoptic (GnRH) Suprachiasmatic (melatonin)
Emotion	Lateral Ventromedial Dorsomedial

White matter

afferent
efferent
- Mammillothalamic tract
- Dorsal longitudinal fasciculus

Pituitary

Posterior is diencephalon, but anterior is glandular

Subthalamus

Authority control databases	Terminologia Anatomica

References

^ Fundamental neuroscience for basic and clinical applications. Haines, Duane E., Ard, M. D. (March D.) (4th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier/Saunders. 2013. ISBN 9781437702941. OCLC 794603152.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)