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Query: UMLS:C0917801 (insomnia)
 10,606 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The clinical syndromes described with lesions of the hypothalamus are summarized in Table 9.5-9.7. The anterior hypothalamic syndrome consists of insomnia and loss of thirst regulatory mechanisms. In occasional larger lesions which interrupt the output from the supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei, diabetes insipidus has been noticed. In the tuberal region of the hypothalamus the most prominent findings are those that are caused by the disruption of the final common pathway to the pituitary. This results in endocrinopathy, most often the syndrome originally reported by Frohlich, with failure of sexual maturation and obesity. In the tuberal region, differences between lesions of the medial and lateral portions are quite marked. Medial lesions result in obesity while bilateral lesions result in anorexia and emaciation. The diencephalic syndrome of infancy with it's severe emaciation in young years and obesity in later years clearly indicates a different organizational pattern in the neonatal hypothalamus. Emotional disorders may be seen with lesions either in the medial or lateral hypothalamus at the tuberal level. Finally, in the posterior hypothalamic region, which includes the greatest effector apparatus, hypersomnia, apathy, and poikilothermia have been reported. Emotional disturbances and the Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome also seemed to be associated with lesions in this area. The hypothalamus remains the single most important integrator of vegetative and endocrinologic regulation of the body. Cushing said of the hypothalamus, "here in this hidden spot, almost to be covered with a thumb nail, lies the very main spring of primitive existence: vegetative, emotional and reproductive".
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PMID:Surgical syndromes of the hypothalamus. 727 50

The anterior nucleus of thalamus (ANT) is a key component of the hippocampal system for episodic memory. The ANT consist of 3 subnuclei with distinct connectivity with the subicular cortex, retrosplenial cortex, and mammillary bodies. Via its connections with the anterior cingulate and orbitomedial prefrontal cortex, the ANT may also contribute to reciprocal hippocampal-prefrontal interactions involved in emotional and executive functions. As in other thalamic nuclei, neurons of the ANT have 2 different state-dependent patterns of discharge, tonic and burst-firing; some ANT neurons also contribute to propagation of the theta rhythm, which is important for mechanisms of synaptic plasticity of the hippocampal circuit. Clinical and experimental evidence indicate that damage of the ANT or its inputs from the mammillary bodies are primarily responsible for the episodic memory deficit observed in Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome and thalamic stroke. Experimental models also indicate that the ANT may have a role in the propagation of seizure activity both in absence and in focal seizures. Because of its central connectivity and possible role in propagation of seizure activity, the ANT has become an attractive target for deep brain stimulation (DBS) for treatment of medically refractory epilepsy. The ANT is one of the nuclei preferentially affected in prion disorders, such as fatal familial insomnia, but the relationship between ANT involvement and the clinical manifestations of these disorders remains unclear. The connectivity patterns and electrophysiology of the ANT have been the subject of several reviews.(1-4.)
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PMID:Anterior nucleus of the thalamus: functional organization and clinical implications. 2414 76