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 39degC, Which is unrelated to an infection or inflammation. The fever is most likely due to a lesion of which of the following?
High-Yield Explanation
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.