Thalamus-Hypothalamus
Covered by the two cerebral hemispheres, the diencephalon [41, 51] is the central nervous system structure located at the center of the brain.
It contains clusters of gray matter, such as the thalamus [42, 75] and hypothalamus, that play an extremely vital role in the body.
The thalamus :
The thalamus is a nuclear complex that occupies a large part of the diencephalon [40, 54]. It acts as an essential relay for the vast majority of sensory afferents traveling up to the cerebral cortex [1, 38, 40] , hence its name, which has Greek origins meaning "bed" [40, 119, 140] or "inner chamber" [73] - the one preceding the main room. It also plays a very important role in motor function [40, 75] and the processing of emotions.
The thalamus consists of two masses of gray matter [42] , right and left, each taking an ovoid shape [2, 36, 66]. These two parts are often connected at the center by the interthalamic adhesion [38, 43].
The thalamus contains several nuclei [2, 76] , each of which performs a specific role. It forms the lateral wall of the third ventricle [38, 224] and is bordered superiorly and anteriorly by the body and frontal horn of each lateral ventricle [43, 66].
The hypothalamus :
The hypothalamus [4, 41, 50] is located directly below [42] and anterior to [54] the thalamus; it is significantly smaller in size and volume than the latter. That said, its role in the body is by no means minor [54, 76].
Indeed, the hypothalamus comprises several distinct nuclei [39] that perform various functions [4, 38], including thermoregulation [5, 77], appetite control, and regulation of the sleep-wake cycle. It also plays a vital role in the modulation of the autonomic nervous system [4].
The hypothalamus is the primary endocrine driver of the entire body. It controls the secretions of the pituitary gland, which produces the body's main hormones [69].