Prosencephalon [Forebrain]

The forebrain or prosencephalon is the rostral (forward-most) portion of the brain. With the midbrain (mesencephalon), and hindbrain (rhombencephalon) are the three primary brain vesicles during the early development of the nervous system. The forebrain controls body temperature, reproductive functions, eating, sleeping, and the display of emotions.

At the five-vesicle stage, the forebrain separates into the diencephalon (thalamus, hypothalamus, subthalamus, and epithalamus) and the telencephalon which develops into the cerebrum. The cerebrum consists of the cerebral cortex, underlying white matter, and the basal ganglia.

N.B.:In Humans, the definition of the cerebrum ('cerveau' in french) of the last edition of the 'Terminologia Anatomica' (TA2, 2019) includes the diencephalum along with the telencephalon. In this case 'Cerebrum' is therefore a synonym of 'Forebrain' or 'Prosencephalon'.