Tuesday 30 October 2012

Sexual function is controlled by which nucleus of hypothalamus?

Option A: Supraoptic nucleus
Option B: Paraoptic nucleus
Option C: Lateral hypothalamus
Option D: Posterior hypothalamus

The correct answer is C. The ideal answer is preoptic nucleus. The preoptic area is one of the areas of greatest sexual dimorphism. Several hypothalamic nuclei are sexually dimorphic, i.e. there are clear differences in both structure and function between males and females. Some differences are apparent even in gross neuroanatomy: most notable is the sexually dimorphic nucleus within the preoptic area. However most of the differences are subtle changes in the connectivity and chemical sensitivity of particular sets of neurons.

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