Skip to content
Human Body Study

Hypothalamus

A small region at the base of the brain — the master link between the nervous and endocrine systems.

The endocrine system A stylised body with the eight endocrine glands placed at their anatomical positions: hypothalamus, pituitary, pineal, thyroid, parathyroids, adrenals, pancreatic islets and gonads. Each label links to the article for that gland. Hypothalamus Pituitary gland Pineal gland Thyroid gland Parathyroid glands Adrenal glands Pancreatic islets Gonads The endocrine glands at their anatomical positions — schematic, not to scale.

What it does

Section titled “What it does”
  • Controls the pituitary — releases hormones that switch pituitary output on or off, and makes two hormones (oxytocin and ADH) stored in the posterior pituitary.
  • Runs homeostasis — regulates body temperature, hunger and thirst, sleep–wake cycles, and the stress response.

Key idea

Section titled “Key idea”

The hypothalamus is where the brain and the hormone system meet — it translates the nervous system’s signals into hormonal commands, and sits at the top of most hormonal axes.