diencephalon

American  

[dahy-en-sef-uh-lon] / ˌdaɪ ɛnˈsɛf əˌlɒn /

noun

Anatomy.

plural

diencephalons, diencephala

1. the posterior section of the forebrain.

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diencephalon British  

/ ˌdaɪɛnsɪˈfælɪk, ˌdaɪɛnˈsɛfəˌlɒn /

noun

1. the part of the brain that includes the basal ganglia, thalamus, hypothalamus, and associated areas

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Other Word Forms

• diencephalic adjective

Etymology

Origin of diencephalon

From New Latin, dating back to 1880–85; di- ³, encephalon

Example Sentences

The spinal cord is a single structure, whereas the adult brain is described in terms of four major regions: the cerebrum, the diencephalon, the brain stem, and the cerebellum.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

The diencephalon gives rise to several adult structures; two that will be important are the thalamus and the hypothalamus.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

The rest of the brain, the spinal cord, and the PNS all send information to the cerebrum through the diencephalon.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

Photoreceptors are activated, and the signal is transferred to the retinal ganglion cells that send an action potential along the optic nerve into the diencephalon.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

The diencephalon is between the cerebrum and the rest of the nervous system and can be described as the region through which all projections have to pass between the cerebrum and everything else.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013