A 34-Year-Old Man Develops Excessive Thirst and Frequent Urination While

A 34-year-old man develops excessive thirst and frequent urination while being hospitalized for multiple injuries following a motorcycle collision.  His urinary osmolality after 4 hours of water restriction is 250 mOsm/L and increases to 700 mOsm/L after administration of antidiuretic hormone.  The patient is started on an appropriate medication, and his symptoms promptly resolve.  Over the next 2 years, multiple attempts are made to wean the patient off the medication, but his symptoms would always return, necessitating the resumption of treatment.  The permanence of this patient's condition is best explained by traumatic damage to which of the following structures?

A) Anterior pituitary
B) Hypothalamic nuclei
C) Kidneys
D) Posterior pituitary
E) Thalamic nuclei

Correct Answer:

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