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
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mid-diencephalic territory
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prethalamus
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zona limitans intrathalamica
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thalamus
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hypothalamus
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epithalamus
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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
See also
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List of regions in the human brain
External links
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