The hypothalamus and related feeding behaviors

HUB 269

The hypothalamus is a structure located in the diencephalon, and has an important role in sustaining homeostasis in complex living organisms. The hypothalamus is the major link between the central nervous system, and the endocrine system which contains one of the main glands that releases hormones-- the pituitary gland. Since, the hypothalamus is directly connected to the pituitary gland, it can activate certain hormones or chemical messengers to target specific organs, in order to perform necessary behaviors for maintaining homeostasis. Studies reveal the importance of the lateral hypothalamus in initiating feeding behaviors by releasing a hormone known as ghrelin. Also, other studies have shown that the ventromedial hypothalamus is important for signaling satiety. In an experiment performed on rats, both the control and experimental group had similar food intake and weight before the experiment, and similar weight gain after administering the high fat diet. After the ventromedial hypothalamus lesions were performed on the experimental group, there was a significant increase in food intake and body weight compared to the control group. It was observed that total cholesterol, triglycerides, and insulin levels had highly increased compared to the pre-lesion levels in the experimental group. It has been concluded that lesions to the ventromedial hypothalamus leads to hyperphasia and hypothalamic obesity. Numerous studies reveal that the hypothalamus is a critical structure in the nervous system that regulates essential functions in an organism. The functions initiated by the hypothalamus contributes to homeostasis of an organisms.