Answer
The hypothalamus is part of the diencephalon. It's located below the thalamus . Anatomically, it is usually considered as comprising three major regions--mammillary region, tuberal region, supraoptic region--and one minor region , the preoptic region.
Work Step by Step
The mammillary region contains mammillary bodies which are important in mediating smell. The tuberal region contains several nuclei; it also contains the neurons that make up the infundibulum--the "stalk" that connects the hypothalamus with the posterior pituitary (PP). The supraoptic region is located superior to the optic chiasm: this region also includes several nuclei, such as the paraventricular, the anterior hypothalamic, the supraoptic and the suprachiasmatic. Some axons of the supraoptic region form the hypothalamo-hypophyseal tract that connects the posterior pituitary(PP) with the hypothalamus The fourth region is the preoptic region; it functions mainly in thermoregulation.
