Which part of hypothalamus helps in thermoregulation? ?
Thermoregulation is controlled mainly by neurons in the median and medial preoptic nuclei, as well as the lateral preoptic area. In general, these neurons tend to inhibit a thermogenic region in the dorsomedial nucleus and paraventricular nucleus. The latter send excitatory inputs to brainstem cell groups that increase body temperature. So, when the hypothalamus is warmed, inhibitory neurons turn off this thermogenic system, and body temperature falls. Thermoregulation interacts with feeding (as energy is required to produce heat and increase metabolic rate), reproduction (as body temperature is affected by menstrual cycles), and wake-sleep cycles (as body temperature falls during sleep). When food stores are low, animals may enter a state of torpor, or hibernation, where their body temperature falls to about 30 degrees C, and the brain enters a sleep-like state. On the other hand, body temperature increases during stress.
