Preoptic area
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| Brain: Preoptic area | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preoptic area is 'PO', at left, in blue. | ||
| NeuroNames | hier-360 | |
| MeSH | Preoptic+area | |
| Dorlands/Elsevier | n_11/12582622 | |
The preoptic area is a region of the hypothalamus. According to the MeSH classification, it is considered part of the anterior hypothalamus.
Contents |
Functions
The preoptic area is responsible for thermoregulation and receives nervous stimulation from thermoreceptors in the skin, mucous membranes and hypothalamus itself.
This area propagates stimuli to either the heat-losing or heat-promoting centres of the hypothalamus.
Nuclei
There are four nuclei in this region, according to Terminologia Anatomica:
- nucleus preopticus lateralis (lateral preoptic nucleus)
- nucleus preopticus medialis (medial preoptic nucleus) - also releases gonadotropin-releasing hormone
- nucleus preopticus medianus (median preoptic nucleus)
- nucleus preopticus periventricularis (periventricular preoptic nucleus)
Aging
Studies in female mice have shown that estrogen receptor-alpha declines in the pre-optic hypothalamus as they grow old. The female mice that were given a calorically restricted diet during the majority of their lives, maintained higher levels of ERα in the pre-optic hypothalamus than their non-calorically restricted counterparts. [1]
References
See also
