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The posterior hypothalamus has dopamine neurons that project to the spinal cord, but their function is not well established.<ref name=Paulus/> There is some evidence that pathology in this area plays a role in restless legs syndrome, a condition in which people have difficulty sleeping due to an overwhelming compulsion to constantly move parts of the body, especially the legs.<ref name=Paulus>{{cite journal | vauthors = Paulus W, Schomburg ED | title = Dopamine and the spinal cord in restless legs syndrome: does spinal cord physiology reveal a basis for augmentation? | journal = Sleep Medicine Reviews | volume = 10 | issue = 3 | pages = 185–96 | date = June 2006 | pmid = 16762808 | doi = 10.1016/j.smrv.2006.01.004 }}</ref>
The arcuate nucleus and the periventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus have dopamine neurons that form an important projection—the ''[[tuberoinfundibular pathway]]'' which goes to the [[pituitary gland]], where it influences the secretion of the hormone [[prolactin]].<ref name=BenJonathan/> Dopamine is the primary [[neuroendocrine]] inhibitor of the secretion of [[prolactin]] from the [[anterior pituitary]] gland.<ref name=BenJonathan/> Dopamine produced by neurons in the arcuate nucleus is secreted into the [[hypophyseal portal system]] of the [[median eminence]], which supplies the [[pituitary gland]].<ref name=BenJonathan/> The [[prolactin cell]]s that produce prolactin, in the absence of dopamine, secrete prolactin continuously; dopamine inhibits this secretion
The zona incerta, grouped between the arcuate and periventricular nuclei, projects to several areas of the hypothalamus, and participates in the control of [[gonadotropin-releasing hormone]], which is necessary to activate the development of the [[male reproductive system|male]] and [[female reproductive system]]s, following puberty.<ref name=BenJonathan/>
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