The hypothalamus predates the origin of vertebrates
The hypothalamus is involved during the coordination of neuroendocrine functions in vertebrates and their evolutionary origin can be described using integrated transcriptome or connectome brain maps of swimming tadpoles of Ciona intestinalis, also known as sea vase. These organisms serve as an approximation of their ancestral protovertebrate. The map included several cell types relative to different regions of the vertebrate hypothalamus, including the mammillary nucleus, arcuate nucleus and magnocellular neurons. Читать дальше...