Damage to which brain area can disrupt hunger regulation and body temperature control?

• A. Cerebral cortex
• B. Pineal gland
• C. Pons
• D. Hypothalamus

Answer: (D)

Hunger regulation and body temperature control are governed by the hypothalamus, a key center for maintaining internal balance. The hypothalamus integrates signals about energy status, hormones, and temperature to drive feeding behavior and to set the body’s temperature set point. Different parts of it handle different tasks: the lateral region promotes hunger, the ventromedial region promotes fullness, and the anterior (preoptic) area helps regulate heat loss and production. When this area is damaged, the coordinated control of appetite and thermoregulation can be disrupted, leading to abnormal hunger cues and unstable body temperature.

Other brain regions don’t serve this combined role. The cerebral cortex handles higher-level thinking and conscious decisions about eating but not the automatic homeostatic regulation. The pineal gland mostly influences circadian rhythms via melatonin, not direct hunger or temperature control. The pons participates in basic autonomic functions and some sleep–wake processes but isn’t the primary regulator of hunger or body temperature.