The hypothalamus is an anatomically small but functionally important part of the brain. In functional and pathophysiological terms, the hypothalamus represents the intersection of several areas of clinical and medical expertise. The human hypothalamus can be astutely referred to as the crossroad of endocrinology, psychiatry, neurology and neurosurgery. Because of its involvement in myriad physiologic functions and the varied ways disorders involving it can manifest, hypothalamic disease can initially come to medical attention in widely disparate settings and with widely different clinicians. Therefore, the detection and proper care of hypothalamic dysfunction and disease often requires carefully coordinated multidisciplinary care. This volume fills a significant void in the medical professional community, comprehensively presenting the scope of hypothalamic structure, function, dysfunction and disease to cater to the various clinical, teaching and research professionals that have a stake in this part of the human brain. This text captures in one place all the information that practicing clinicians, clinician scientists, and researchers need to be adequately informed about various aspects of the hypothalamus in all its complexity. It is comprehensive and broad in scope so that it provides relevant reference information for the wide range of professionals involved in the pre- and post-mortem detection, diagnosis, characterization, care and management of various hypothalamic disorders and diseases in addition to providing a sound anatomic and physiologic foundation of the normal human hypothalamus. The Human Hypothalamus can be used to differing degrees by medical professionals and students alike, finding utility for interested general clinicians, medical school and allied health professional teaching faculty as well as subspecialists in domains as wide as neurosurgery, neuroendocrinology, clinical psychiatry and neuro-oncology.

The human hypothalamus, a small structure at the base of the brain, has strategic importance for the harmonic function of the human body. It controls the autonomic nervous system, neuroendocrine function, circadian and circannual rhythms, somatic activities, and behavior, and is situated at the borders between the brain and the body and the brain and the soul, meeting points for mind and body. The hypothalamus is involved in a wide range of higher mental functions, including attention, learning and reinforcement of mnemonic processes, emotional control, mood stability, and cognitive-emotional interactions. It also has a role to play in behavioral disorders, panic reactions, cluster headache, gelastic epilepsy, mental deficiency, periodic disorders, depression, autism, and schizophrenia, and in a substantial number of neurodegenerative diseases. It enlarges greatly the dimensions of the hypothalamic contribution in controlling psychosomatic equilibrium and retaining internal unity of the human existence.

The hypothalamus is a particularly complex part of the brain; it represents only a fragment of the brain volume and yet it is considered as one the most important regions involved in maintaining homeostasis and in the resulting survival of the individual. Since most of the experimental data in the scientific literature are based on animal studies, there is an emerging need for a volume that provides a review of the current research and knowledge of the major hypothalamic functions in humans. This book is intended to tackle these functions and the ensuing morphological and pathological aspects in order to give the reader a cross section of the most recent data and major trends in the current hypothalamic research in a convenient, compact format.

The Human Hypothalamus: Neuroendocrine Disorders, Volume 181 in the Handbook of Clinical Neurology series, provides comprehensive summaries of recent research on the brain and nervous system as they relate to clinical neurology. This volume summarizes the role of the hypothalamus in neuroendocrine disorders, identifying the mechanism of action, disorder etiology, and best practices for assessment and treatment. Disorders covered include pituitary hypothalamic disorders of development and growth, hypothalamic tumor related disorders, hypothalamic autoimmune disorders and infection, disorders of vasopressin, water and sodium homeostasis, eating disorders, and gonadotropic hormone regulation disorders. - Discusses the importance of the hypothalamus in human growth and development - Reviews hypothalamic related tumors, as well as pituitary, autoimmune, vasopressin and hormone regulation disorders - Includes metabolic and eating disorders - Identifies mechanisms of disease action and etiology - Provides best practice information for assessment and treatment

The Human Hypothalamus in Health and Disease

As the editor, I feel extremely happy to present to the readers such a rich collection of chapters authored/co-authored by a large number of experts from around the world covering the broad field of guided wave optics and optoelectronics. Most of the chapters are state-of-the-art on respective topics or areas that are emerging. Several authors narrated technological challenges in a lucid manner, which was possible because of individual expertise of the authors in their own subject specialties. I have no doubt that this book will be useful to graduate students, teachers, researchers, and practicing engineers and technologists and that they would love to have it on their book shelves for ready reference at any time.

Stress and Health: Biological and Psychological Interactions is a brief and accessible examination of psychological stress and its psychophysiological relationships with cognition, emotions, brain functions, and the peripheral mechanisms by which the body is regulated. Updated throughout, the Third Edition covers two new and significant areas of emerging research: how our early life experiences alter key stress responsive systems at the level of gene expression; and what large, normal, and small stress responses may mean for our overall health and well-being.

Handbook of Clinical Neurology: Volume 95 is the first of over 90 volumes of the handbook to be entirely devoted to the history of neurology. The book is a collection of historical materials from different neurology professionals. The book is divided into 6 sections and composed of 55 chapters organized around different aspects of the history of neurology. The first section presents the beginnings of neurology: ancient trepanation, its birth in Mesopotamia, ancient Egypt; the emergence of neurology in the biblical text and the Talmud; neurology in the Greco-Roman world and the period following Galen; neurological conditions in the European Middle Ages; and the development of neurology in the 17th and 18th centuries. The second section narrates the birth of localization theory; the beginning of neurology and histological applications, neuroanatomy, neurophysiology, surgical neurology and other anatomo-clinical methods. The third section covers further development of the discipline, including methods of neurological illustration and hospitals in neurology and neurosurgery. This section also narrates the history of child neurology, neurodisability and neuroendocrinology. It also features the application of molecular biology on clinical neurology. The fourth section describes the dysfunctions of the nervous system and their history. The fifth and last section covers the regional landmarks of neurology and the different treatments and recovery. The text is informative and useful for neuroscience or neurology professional, researchers, clinical practitioners, mental health experts, psychiatrists, and academic students and scholars in neurology.

A full-color, case-based review of the essentials of pathophysiology--covering all major organs and systems The goal of this trusted text is to introduce you to clinical medicine by reviewing the pathophysiologic basis of 120 diseases (and associated signs and symptoms) commonly encountered in medical practice. The authors, all experts in their respective fields, have provided a concise review of relevant normal structure and function of each body system, followed by a description of the pathophysiologic mechanisms that underlie several common diseases related to that system. Each chapter of Pathophysiology of Disease concludes with a collection of case studies and questions designed to test your understanding of the pathophysiology of each clinical entity discussed. These case studies allow you to apply your knowledge to specific clinical situations. Detailed answers to each case study question are provided at the end of the book. This unique interweaving of physiological and pathological concepts will put you on the path toward thinking about signs and symptoms in terms of their pathophysiologic basis, giving you an understanding of the "why" behind illness and treatment. Features 120 case studies (9 new) provide an opportunity for you to test your understanding of the pathophysiology of each clinical entity discussed Checkpoint questions provide review and appear in every chapter Updates and revisions throughout this new edition reflect the latest research and developments Numerous tables and diagrams encapsulate important information Updated references for each chapter topic Pathophysiology of Disease is a true must-have resource for medical students preparing for the USMLE Step 1 exam, as well as students engaged in their clerkship studies. House officers, nurses, nurse practitioners, physicians’ assistants, and allied health practitioners will find its concise presentation and broad scope a great help in facilitating their understanding of common disease entities.

New edition building on the success of previous one. Retains core aim of providing an accessible introduction to behavioral neuroanatomy.