Origin
- Develops from the ectoderm layer of the embryo
- Below the thalamus and above the pituitary gland and brain stem
- It is a small cone-shaped structure of the forebrain which is connected to the anterior lobe of the pituitary gland by hypophyseal portal veins.
- It contains several groups of neurosecretory cells called nuclei.
- The nuclei secrete hormones.