Nervous connections

Afferent Fibers

 

Hypothalamus receives afferent fibers carrying somatic and visceral sensations as well as from special senses.

• Somatic and visceral afferents via lemniscal afferent fibers and nucleus of tractus solitarius, that reach the hypothalamus via reticular formation
• Visual afferents from the optic chiasma reach the suprachiasmatic nucleus
• Olfactory afferents are received through medial forebrain bundle
• Auditory afferents though not identified completely but are influenced by the hypothalamus
• Hippocampo-hypothalamic afferents reach via fornix to mamillary bodies
• Tegmental fibers from midbrain
• Thalamo-hypothalamic fibers from the midline and dorsomedial nuclei of the thalamus
• Amygdalo-hypothalamic fibers from the amygdaloid complex reach the hypothalamus via stria terminalis