Diencephalon

Overview
The diencephalon is the region of the brain that includes the thalamus, hypothalamus, epithalamus, prethalamus or subthalamus and pretectum. It is derived from the prosencephalon. The diencephalon is located at the midline of the brain, above the mesencephalon of the brain stem. The diencephalon contains the zona limitans intrathalamica as morphological boundary and signalling centre between the prethalamus and the thalamus.

Organization

 * diencephalon
 * mid-diencephalic territory
 * prethalamus
 * zona limitans intrathalamica
 * thalamus
 * hypothalamus
 * epithalamus
 * pretectum

Roles
The diencephalon is the part of the forebrain that contains such important structures as the thalamus, hypothalamus and the anterior portion of the pituitary gland. The hypothalamus performs numerous vital functions, most of which relate directly or indirectly to the regulation of visceral activities by way of other brain regions and the autonomic nervous system.