posterior nucleus of hypothalamus posterior nucleus of hypothalamus the posterior nucleus of the hypothalamus is one of the many nuclei that make up the hypothalamic region of the brain. posterior hypothalamic nucleusposterior nucleus is 'pn', at right, in red.detailspart ofhypothalamusidentifierslatinnucleus posterior hypothalamineuronames420neurolex idbirnlex_1463ta98a14.1.08.939ta25738fma62350anatomical terms of neuroanatomy its functions include elevation of blood pressure, pupillary dilation, and shivering or body heat conservation (thermoregulation). damage or destruction of this nucleus causes hypothermia. descending efferents from the nucleus synapse on the sympathetic neurons of the spinal cord, which exist in the thoracic and lumbar regions in the lateral horns. anatomy of the diencephalon of the human brainepithalamussurface pineal gland habenula habenular trigone habenular commissure grey matter pretectal area habenular nuclei subcommissural organ thalamussurface stria medullaris of thalamus thalamic reticular nucleus taenia thalami grey matter/nuclei paired: an ventral va/vl vp/vpm/vpl lateral ld lp pulvinar nuclei metathalamus mg lg p cell m cell k cell midline: md intralaminar centromedian midline nuclear group interthalamic adhesion white matter mammillothalamic tract pallidothalamic tracts ansa lenticularis lenticular fasciculus thalamic fasciculus pcml medial lemniscus trigeminal lemniscus spinothalamic tract lateral lemniscus dentatothalamic tract acoustic radiation optic radiation subthalamic fasciculus anterior trigeminothalamic tract medullary laminae hypothalamussurface median eminence/tuber cinereum mammillary body infundibulum grey matterautonomic zones anterior (parasympathetic/heat loss) posterior (sympathetic/heat conservation) endocrine posterior pituitary: paraventricular magnocellular neurosecretory cell parvocellular neurosecretory cell supraoptic oxytocin/vasopressin other: arcuate (dopamine/ghrh) preoptic (gnrh) suprachiasmatic (melatonin) emotion lateral ventromedial dorsomedial white matter afferent stria terminalis medial forebrain bundle retinohypothalamic tract efferent mammillothalamic tract dorsal longitudinal fasciculus pituitary posterior is diencephalon, but anterior is glandular subthalamus subthalamic nucleus zona incerta nuclei campi perizonalis (fields of forel) authority control terminologia anatomica