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Glite Dictionary
epithalamus

epithalamus

1 9.9
A small brain part near the middle that has a gland that makes sleep hormones
  • noun
  • /ˌɛpɪˈθæləməs/
  • Specialized
: epitalamo
  • The epithalamus plays a crucial role in hormone regulation and is home to the pineal gland.

Examples

  • Researchers found that the epithalamus is involved in various neural circuits that affect behavior.

  • And some of them took a different route to the through the epithalamus, which then also projected into the midbrain.

  • Then they reach the dorsal thalamus, then they reach the epithalamus, the pretextal nuclei in the epithalamus.

  • Understanding the epithalamus helps scientists learn more about how the brain regulates sleep patterns.

Surface Forms

epithalamus singular
epithalami plural

Morphology

epithalamus = thalamus (semi-transparent) = epi + thalamus

Formed by the productive prefix 'epi-' (on/over) plus the anatomical noun 'thalamus', indicating position relative to the thalamus but with specialized anatomical sense.

Etymology

Epithalamus comes from Greek parts epi- meaning 'upon' or 'over' and thalamus meaning 'inner chamber' or 'room'. So the epithalamus is the small brain area 'above the thalamus', which explains why it sits over that part of the brain and helps control hormones and the sleep-wake cycle.