medial preoptic area

medial preoptic area (MPO)

The term medial preoptic area refers to a subdivision of the preoptic area defined on the basis of Nissl stain. It is largely bounded medially by the preoptic periventricular nucleus and the anteroventral periventricular nucleus, laterally by the lateral preoptic area, dorsally by the anterior commissure and the thalamus, ventrally by the optic chiasm, rostrally by the nucleus of the diagonal band and caudally by the anterior hypothalamic area. It's internal structure varies considerably by species. In the human it is relatively undifferentiated ( Saper-1990 ). In the macaque ( Paxinos-2009a ), rat and mouse the area contains a well defined medial preoptic nucleus. In the rat ( Swanson-2004 ) and mouse ( Hof-2000; Dong-2004 ) the area contains four other nuclei as well: the anterodorsal preoptic nucleus, the anteroventral preoptic nucleus, the posterodorsal preoptic nucleus and the parastrial nucleus. The cell sparse portion of the area between nuclei is known as the medial preoptic area proper ( Swanson-2004 ).

Also known as: medial preoptic nucleus, Nucleus preopticus medialis, Nucleus praeopticus medialis, Area preopticus medialis, medial preoptic area, medial preoptic hypothalamic nucleus, Area praeoptica medialis

NeuroNames ID: 380

All Names & Sources

1 of 15

Showing 15 synonym(s) - Use arrows to navigate

Showing 15 synonym(s)

Name:

медиальное преоптическое ядро

Language:

Russian

Organism:

human

Source:

Baev-2000

Citation:

Moskva: Meditsina, 2000.

Source Title:

Magnitno-Resonansnaia Tomografiia Golovnogo Mozga: Normal'naia Anatomiia

Name:

nucleo preottico mediale

Language:

Italian

Organism:

human

Source:

Carpenter-1995

Citation:

EdiSes, s.r.l.- Napoli, 1995

Source Title:

Fondamenti di Neuroanatomia

Name:

MPO

Language:

acronym

Organism:

human

Source:

Mai-1997

Citation:

San Diego: Academic Press, 1997

Source Title:

Atlas of the Human Brain

Name:

medial preoptic nucleus

Language:

English

Organism:

human

Source:

Carpenter-1983

Citation:

Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins Co., 1983

Source Title:

Human Neuroanatomy

Name:

medial preoptic nucleus

Language:

English

Organism:

Macaca fascicularis

Source:

Martin-1997

Citation:

Primate Information Center, University of Washington, Seattle, 1997.

Source Title:

Template Atlas of the Primate Brain

Name:

Nucleus preopticus medialis

Language:

Latin

Organism:

human

Source:

Nomina-1983

Citation:

Fifth Edition, Williams and Wilkins Co., Baltimore, 1983

Source Title:

Nomina Anatomica

Name:

Nucleus praeopticus medialis

Language:

Latin

Organism:

human

Source:

Mai-1997

Citation:

San Diego: Academic Press, 1997

Source Title:

Atlas of the Human Brain

Name:

Area preopticus medialis

Language:

Latin

Organism:

Macaca fuscata

Source:

Kusama-1970

Citation:

University Park Press, Baltimore, Maryland, 1970

Source Title:

Stereotaxic Atlas Of The Brain of Macaca fuscata

Name:

medial preoptic area

Language:

English

Organism:

human

Source:

Carpenter-1983

Citation:

Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins Co., 1983

Source Title:

Human Neuroanatomy

Name:

medial preoptic hypothalamic nucleus

Language:

English

Organism:

human

Source:

Carpenter-1983

Citation:

Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins Co., 1983

Source Title:

Human Neuroanatomy

Name:

Area praeoptica medialis

Language:

Latin

Organism:

Macaca fascicularis

Source:

Shantha-1968

Citation:

Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins, 1968

Source Title:

A Stereotaxic Atlas Of The Java Monkey Brain (Macaca irus)

Name:

MPA

Language:

acronym

Organism:

mouse

Source:

Paxinos-2001

Citation:

Second Edition, Academic Press, San Diego, 2001

Source Title:

The Mouse Brain in Stereotaxic Coordinates

Name:

medial preoptic area

Language:

English

Organism:

rat

Source:

Swanson-2004

Citation:

Third Edition, Elsevier Academic Press, Oxford, 2004

Source Title:

Brain Maps: Structure of the Rat Brain.

Name:

medial preoptic area

Language:

English

Organism:

mouse

Source:

Dong-2004

Citation:

Allen Institute for Brain Science, Seattle, WA, 2004

Source Title:

Allen Reference Atlas

Name:

MPA

Language:

acronym

Organism:

Macaca mulatta

Source:

Paxinos-2009a

Citation:

Amsterdam: Elsevier-Academic Press. 2009

Source Title:

The Rhesus Monkey Brain, Second Edition

Illustrations

Showing 3 illustration(s)

labeled line drawings of
sagittal section in
Macaca fascicularis

Nissl stain & diagram of
coronal section in
mouse

Nissl stain & diagram of
sagittal section in
mouse

Species With The Structure

Equivalent By	Human	Macaque	Rat	Mouse
Topology	Has The Structure	Has The Structure	Has The Structure	Has The Structure

1 of 10

Showing 10 record(s) - Use arrows to navigate

Showing 10 record(s)

Basis:

Topology

Has Equivalent:

Yes

Organism:

Homo sapiens (human)

Their Name:

medial preoptic area

Source:

Carpenter-1983

Basis:

Topology

Has Equivalent:

Yes

Organism:

Homo sapiens (human)

Their Name:

medial preoptic hypothalamic nucleus

Source:

Carpenter-1983

Basis:

Topology

Has Equivalent:

Yes

Organism:

Homo sapiens (human)

Their Name:

medial preoptic nucleus

Source:

Carpenter-1983

Basis:

Topology

Has Equivalent:

Yes

Organism:

Homo sapiens (human)

Their Name:

Nucleus praeopticus medialis

Source:

Mai-1997

Basis:

Topology

Has Equivalent:

Yes

Organism:

Homo sapiens (human)

Their Name:

Nucleus preopticus medialis

Source:

Nomina-1983

Basis:

Topology

Has Equivalent:

Yes

Organism:

Macaca fascicularis (Macaca fascicularis)

Their Name:

Area praeoptica medialis

Source:

Shantha-1968

Basis:

Topology

Has Equivalent:

Yes

Organism:

Macaca fascicularis (Macaca fascicularis)

Their Name:

medial preoptic nucleus

Source:

Martin-1997

Basis:

Topology

Has Equivalent:

Yes

Organism:

Macaca fuscata (Macaca fuscata)

Their Name:

Area preopticus medialis

Source:

Kusama-1970

Basis:

Topology

Has Equivalent:

Yes

Organism:

Rattus (rat)

Their Name:

medial preoptic area

Source:

Swanson-2004

Basis:

Topology

Has Equivalent:

Yes

Organism:

Mus (mouse)

Their Name:

medial preoptic area

Source:

Dong-2004

Models Where It Appears

Structural CNS Model - Macaque

Brain structures of the macaque are illustrated in BrainInfo’s NeuroMaps macaque brain atlas. Structures are grouped by proximity in a hierarchy corresponding to the central nervous system hierarchy of NeuroNames ( Bowden-1995 Martin-2000 ). Structures in the NeuroMaps atlas are based on the segmentation of an MRI of the brain of a 3-year old male rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta). The atlas is most useful for targeting structures for implantating electrodes and chemtrodes. Updated 29 Oct 2025.

telodiencephalic fissure

midbrain

hindbrain

choroidal fissure