What are thalamic astrocytoma and hypothalamic astrocytoma?

Also known as: TMD, TMJ.

An astrocytoma, a common type of glioma, is a form of brain cancer that starts in brain cells, known as astrocytes, that support and nourish other brain cells.

The thalamus and hypothalamus of the brain are deep parts of the brain that together allow us to identify sensations like temperature, pain and touch, they play a part in sleep and wakefulness, are a relay center for the nerve fibers that help us to move, regulates certain metabolic processes and the Autonomic Nervous System, and make and secrete neurohormones that affect hunger, thirst, anger and fatigue.

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Reviewed by: Jack Wolfsdorf, MD, FAAP

This page was last updated on: 1/29/2019 3:21:13 PM