The hypothalamus is part of the limbic system and is a small multinucleated region of the midbrain located directly below the thalamus. The hypothalamus plays a crucial role as the link between the nervous and endocrine systems.
The main function of the hypothalamus can generally be remembered as the 4 F's: feeding, fighting, fleeing, and fornicating. Through controlled hormonal release, the hypothalamus plays a role in body temperature maintenance, satiation when eating, thirst, sympathetic activation of fight or flight type responses, memory formation, and sleep cycles.
The hypothalamus produces antidiuretic hormone (ADH), also known as vasopressin, and oxytocin (uterine contractions) which are then stored in the posterior pituitary.
