Hypothalamus - Function, Hormones, and Structure

Hypothalamus - Function, Hormones, and Structure About the size of a pearl, the hypothalamus directs a multitude of important functions in the body. Located in the diencephalon region of the forebrain, the hypothalamus is the control center for many autonomic functions of the peripheral nervous system. Connections with structures of the endocrine and nervous systems enable the hypothalamus to play a vital role in maintaining homeostasis. Homeostasis is the process of maintaining bodily equilibrium by monitoring and adjusting physiological processes. Blood vessel connections between the hypothalamus and pituitary gland allow hypothalamic hormones to control pituitary hormone secretion. Some of the physiological processes regulated by the hypothalamus include blood pressure, body temperature, cardiovascular system functions, fluid balance, and electrolyte balance. As a limbic system structure, the hypothalamus also influences various emotional responses. The hypothalamus regulates emotional responses through its influence on the pituitary gland, skeletal muscular system, and autonomic nervous system. Hypothalamus: Function The hypothalamus is involved in several functions of the body including: Autonomic Function ControlEndocrine Function ControlHomeostasisMotor Function ControlFood and Water Intake RegulationSleep-Wake Cycle Regulation Hypothalamus: Location Directionally, the hypothalamus is found in the diencephalon. It is  inferior to the thalamus,  posterior to the optic chiasm, and bordered on the sides by the temporal lobes and optic tracts. The location of the hypothalamus, specifically its close proximity to and interactions with the thalamus and pituitary gland, enables it to act as a bridge between the nervous and endocrine systems. Hypothalamus: Hormones Hormones produced by the hypothalamus include: Anti-Diuretic Hormone (Vasopressin) - regulates water levels and influence blood volume and blood pressure.Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone - acts on the pituitary gland causing the release of hormones in response to stress.Oxytocin - influences sexual and social behavior.Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone - stimulates the pituitary to release hormones that influence the development of reproductive system structures.Somatostatin - inhibits the release of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and growth hormone (GH).Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone - stimulates the release of growth hormone by the pituitary.Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone - stimulates the pituitary to release thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). TSH regulates metabolism, growth, heart rate, and body temperature. Hypothalamus: Structure The hypothalamus consists of several nuclei (neuron clusters) that may be divided into three regions. These regions include an anterior, middle or tuberal, and posterior component. Each region can be further divided into areas that contain nuclei responsible for a variety of functions. Region Functions Anterior Thermoregulation; releases oxytocin, anti-diuretic hormone, and gonadotropin-releasing hormone; controls sleep-wake cycles. Middle (Tuberal) Controls blood pressure, heart rate, satiety, and neuroendocrine integration; releases growth hormone-releasing hormone. Posterior Involved in memory, learning, arousal, sleep, pupil dilation, shivering, and feeding; releases anti-diuretic hormone. Hypothalamus Regions and Functions The hypothalamus has connections with various parts of the central nervous system. It connects with the brainstem, the part of the brain that relays information from the peripheral nerves and spinal cord to the upper parts of the brain. The brainstem includes the midbrain and portions of the hindbrain. The hypothalamus also connects to the peripheral nervous system. These connections enable the hypothalamus to influence  many autonomic or involuntary  functions (heart rate, pupil constriction and dilation, etc.). In addition, the hypothalamus has connections with other limbic system structures including the amygdala, hippocampus, thalamus, and olfactory cortex. These connections enable the hypothalamus to influence emotional responses to sensory input. Key Takeaways The hypothalamus is located in the diencephalon region of the forebrain, directs a number of  needed functions in the body and is the control center for several  autonomic functions.These functional controls include: autonomic, endocrine, and motor function control. It  is also involved in homeostasis and the regulation of both the sleep-wake cycle and in food and water intake.A number of important hormones are produced by the hypothalamus including: vasopressin (anti-diuretic hormone), corticotropin-releasing hormone, oxytocin, gonadotropin-releasing hormone, somatostatin, growth hormone-releasing hormone, and thyrotropin-releasing hormone. These hormones act on other organs or glands in the body. Hypothalamus: Disorders Disorders of the hypothalamus prevent this important organ from functioning normally. The hypothalamus releases a number of hormones that control a variety of endocrine functions. As such, damage to the hypothalamus results in a lack of production of hypothalamic hormones needed to control important activities, such as maintaining water balance, temperature regulation, sleep cycle regulation, and weight control. Since hypothalamic hormones also influence the pituitary gland, damage to the hypothalamus impacts organs that are under pituitary control, such as the adrenal glands, gonads, and thyroid gland. Disorders of the hypothalamus include hypopituitarism (deficient pituitary hormone production), hypothyroidism (deficient thyroid hormone production), and sexual development disorders.Hypothalamic disease is most commonly caused by brain injury, surgery, malnutrition related to eating disorders (anorexia and bulimia), inflammation, and tumors. Divisions of the Brain Forebrain - encompasses the cerebral cortex and brain lobes.Midbrain - connects the forebrain to the hindbrain.Hindbrain - regulates autonomic functions and coordinates movement.

Facts About Author and Illustrator Patricia Polacco

Facts About Author and Illustrator Patricia Polacco Because so many of Patricia Polaccos childhood experiences have served as the inspiration for her children’s picture books, it’s particularly interesting to look at her life and her books together.   Dates: July 11, 1944 -   Also Known As: Patricia Barber Polacco Interesting Facts About Patricia Polaccos Life and Work 1. Patricia Polacco did not begin writing children’s books until she was 41 and by late 2013, had been writing children’s books for 28 years. Her first book, which based on childhood experience, was Meteor! 2. Patricia Polacco’s parents divorced when she was three years old. Since her parents moved back to their parents’ homes, and she went back and forth between those homes, her grandparents became a big influence on her life and later, in her writing. With a Russian and Ukrainian heritage on her mother’s side and Irish on her father’s, she was surrounded by storytellers and loved hearing family stories. 3.  Some of Polacco’s favorite books as a child included Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit, The Tall Mother Goose by Fedor Rojankovsky, Grimm’s Fairy Tales and Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss. Among the contemporary authors and illustrators, she admires are Jerry Pinkney, Gloria Jean Pinkney, Tomie dePaola, Alan Say, Virginia Hamilton, Jan Brett, and Lois Lowry. 4. A learning disability kept Polacco from learning to read until she was 14. Years later, she celebrated the assistance she received from a caring teacher her picture book Thank You, Mr. Falker.   The same kids who teased her about her poor reading skills praised Polacco’s artwork. Art was something she could do easily and in a 2013 presentation in Wichita, Kansas, Polacco said, â€Å"For me, art is like breathing.† 5.  Despite this rough start in school, Polacco went on to earn a Ph.D. in Art History, with an emphasis on iconography. In Oakland, she attended the California College of Arts and Crafts and Laney Community College. Polacco then went to Australia where she attended Monash University in a suburb of Melbourne and Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. 6. Patricia Polacco’s picture books, most of which are based on family and childhood experiences, emphasize diversity, a reflection of both her own multicultural family and what eight-year-old Patricia and her brother, Richard, found when they moved with their mother to Oakland, California where they spent the school year, spending summers with their father in rural Michigan. In reference to growing up in the Rockridge District of Oakland, Polacco said she loved the fact â€Å"†¦that all of my neighbors came in as many colors, ideas, and religions as there are people on the planet. How lucky I was to know so many people that were so different and yet so much alike.† 7.  After a brief first marriage that ended in divorce, Patricia Polacco married chef and cooking instructor Enzo Polacco. Their two children, now adults, are Traci Denise and Steven John. She wrote about Enzo in her children’s book In Enzos Splendid Gardens. 8.  The many awards that Patricia Polacco has received for her children’s picture books include the: 1988 Sydney Taylor Book Award for The Keeping Quilt, 1989 International Reading Association Award for Rechenka’s Eggs, 1992 Golden Kite Award for Illustration from the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) and a 1993 Jane Adams Peace Association and Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom Honor Award for Mrs. Katz and Tush. 9.  For those interested in writing books, Polacco stresses the importance of taking the time to use (and listen to) your imagination and not get distracted by outside interruptions, like television.  In fact, she attributes her vivid imagination to all the storytelling in her family and the absence of a TV. 10.  Patricia Polacco never forgot the early years she spent on her grandparents’ farm in Union City, Michigan, and the stories her Babushka (grandmother) told.  After almost 37 years in Oakland, she moved back to Union City where she now has a home, a studio and many plans for writing workshops and storytelling events. More About Polaccos Work If your 7- to 12-year-olds are eager to learn more about Patricia Polacco and her books, a wonderful introduction to her work is  Firetalking, her brief autobiography for children, which features lots of color photographs and information about her family, her life, and her books. Sources 9/10/13 presentation by Patricia Polacco at Watermark Books, Wichita Kansas, â€Å"Meet Patricia Polacco.†Ã‚  Houghton Mifflin Reading. Polacco, Patricia. â€Å"Author Biography of Patricia Polacco.†Ã‚  Scholastic. â€Å"Transcript from an Interview with Patricia Polacco.†Ã‚  Reading Rockets, 12 Aug. 2013.