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The Hypothalamus

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Despite its small size, the hypothalamus is one of the most important parts of the body, “… they hypothalamus is the main visceral control center of the body and is vitally important to overall body homeostasis. Few tissues in the body escape its influence” (Marieb, 2014, pg.445). According to Marieb “Few tissues in the body escape its influence”. If this is true, then damage to the hypothalamus is capable of affecting the entire body system. There are 7 main homeostatic roles the hypothalamus carries out. First, the hypothalamus controls the autonomic nervous system. This means that the hypothalamus controls the functions of the body we have no control over such as the smooth muscle and secretion of substances in the body. Second, the hypothalamus controls our physical reactions to emotions. For example, “a fearful person has a pounding heart, high blood pressure, pallor, sweating, and a dry mouth” (Marieb, 2014, pg. 445). Third, the hypothalamus keeps our body temperature in check, “The body’s thermostat is in the hypothalamus…the hypothalamus initiates cooling or heat-generating actions as needed to maintain a relatively constant body temperature” (Marieb, 2014, pg. 445). …show more content…

First, its releasing and inhibiting hormones control the secretion of hormones by the anterior pituitary gland. Second, its supraoptic and periventricular nuclei produce the hormone ADH and oxytocin. (Marieb, 2014, pg. 446)
In short, the hypothalamus controls the flow of hormones in the body to maintain homeostatic levels. In summation, the hypothalamus is very important because it allows us to survive and live under healthy and homeostatic levels. If damages to the hypothalamus occurred, any number of internal issues from personality disorders to insufficient hormone secretion may arise. If the hypothalamus is damaged, its 7 main functions meant to keep us alive could very well lead to our

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