Brain anatomy: Diencephalon

The diencephalon includes:

the thalamus and its geniculate bodies,
the hypothalamus,
the subthalamus,
the epithalamus.
The third ventricle lies between the
halves of the diencephalon.
 These structures are important for
regulation of basic functions and
linkage of basic functions to more
complex functions such as movement
Thalamus is a grey mass of nuclei.
THALAMUS

Each half of the brain contains a

thalamus, a large, ovoid, gray mass of
nuclei
Functional Divisions
of the thalamus
The thalamus is thought to be the crucial
structure for the perception of some types of
sensation, especially pain, and the sensory
cortex may give finer detail to the sensation.
Hypothalamus has important
regulatory functions
Temperature
Emotional regulation
Growth (via thyroid stimulating hormone)
Hunger and thirst
Sexual behaviour
Defensive reactions eg fear, rage
Control of various endocrine and activity
rhythms (via hormones
Hypothalamus
Also thought to be important in memory
Right visual memory
Left verbal memory