A 17-yrs-old boy is admitted to the hospital with a traumatic brain
injury, sustained when he fell off his motorcycle. He develops a fever
of 39°C, Which is unrelated to an infection or inflammation. The fever
is most likely due to a lesion of which of the following?
A. The lateral hypothalamus
B. The arcuate nucleus
C. The posterior nucleus
D. The anterior hypothalamus
A. The lateral hypothalamus
B. The arcuate nucleus
C. The posterior nucleus
D. The anterior hypothalamus
Ans. D.
The hypothalamus
regulates body temperature. Core body temperature, the temperature of the deep
tissues of the body, is detected by thennoreceptors located within the anterior
hypothalamus. The anterior hypothalamus also contains neurons responsible for
initiating .reflexes, such as vasodilation and sweating, which are designed to
reduce body temperature. Heat- producing reflexes, such as shivering, and head
maintenance reflexes, such as vasoconstriction, are initiated by neurons
located within the posterior hypothalamus.
