The lateral hypothalamus area corresponds, apart from the area preopticapart, to the longitudinal outer zone of the hypothalamus and contains, among other things, strewn orexin-producing neurons which contribute to the brain's ability to "wake up" from sleep, to "stay awake" and not to "fall asleep" again and participates in appetite regulation.
The signal flow in and out of the LHA is mainly mediated by the MFB and is directed primarily to the locus coeruleus (noradrenaline), to the rostral group of nuclei (serotonin) and to the nucleus tuberomammillaris (histamine) as well as to nuclei in the brainstem (e.g. the parabrachial nuclei, nucleus solitarius). In addition, the area has diffuse connections spread throughout the CNS.
The neuron of the LHA cooperates with the neuron of the posterior part of the hypothalamus and is partially under the influence of the suprachiasmatic nucleus .
Stuber G.D. and Wise R.A. (2016) Lateral hypothalamic circuits for feeding and reward. Nature Neuroscience 19, 198–205 doi:10.1038/nn.4220