Periventricular nuclei of thalamus
Nuclei periventriculares thalami
- Latin synonym: Nuclei mediani thalami
- Synonym: Midline nuclei of thalamus; Median nuclei of thalamus
- Related terms: Median nuclei of thalamus
Definition
Periventricular nuclei of thalamus form part of the brain anxiety network. The network comprises of various interconnected cortical regions which detect threats / arousal signals. The cortex then projects neurons to various sub-cortical regions that mediate defensive behaviors, such as nucleus accumbens, dorsolateral region of the bed of stria terminalis, and central nucleus of amygdala. In this context, the periventricular nuclei of thalamus act as relay centers for integrating the arousal signals arising from cortex and hypothalamus and sending them over to the above-mentioned sub-cortical regions. By doing so, they modulate the behavioral and avoidance responses associated with anxiety and other challenging situations.
References
Kirouac, G.J. (2021). The paraventricular nucleus of the thalamus as an integrating and relay node in the brain anxiety network. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, 15, p.627633. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnbeh.2021.627633
