Development of the basal hypothalamus through anisotropic growth

The adult hypothalamus is subdivided into distinct domains: pre‐optic, anterior, tuberal and mammillary. Each domain harbours an array of neurones that act together to regulate homeostasis. The embryonic origins and the development of hypothalamic neurones, however, remain enigmatic. Here, we summarise recent studies in model organisms that challenge current views…

Taken together, these studies suggest a new model for hypothalamic development that we term the “anisotropic growth model”. We discuss the implications of the model for understanding the origins of adult hypothalamic neurones.

In summary, the final position of hypothalamic neurones does not necessarily reflect the position of their progenitors, which can migrate extensively. This highlights the importance of future lineage‐tracing studies in determining the origin of individual hypothalamic neuronal classes in discrete nuclei.