The paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus: a key node in the control of behavioural states

Iremonger, Karl J.
Power, Emmet M.

¹Centre for Neuroendocrinology and Department of Physiology, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand

^*Corresponding author Karl J. Iremonger: Centre for Neuroendocrinology and Department of Physiology, School of Biomedical Sciences, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. Email: [email protected]

Received January 07, 2025; Accepted March 05, 2025

Karl Iremonger is an Associate Professor in the Centre for Neuroendocrinology and Department of Physiology at the University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. His research focuses on understanding how neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus control the body's stress responses.

Emmet Power is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Neuroendocrinology and the Department of Physiology at the University of Otago. His research explores how neurons in the hypothalamus and related brain regions regulate fundamental biological functions and behaviours, including stress responses and maternal care.

Handling Editors: Laura Bennet & Valentina Mosienko

The peer review history is available in the Supporting Information section of this article (https://doi.org/10.1113/JP288366#support-information-section).

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.

The Journal of Physiology Publish Ahead of Print, March 25, 2025. | DOI: 10.1113/JP288366

The paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus contains diverse populations of neuropeptide-producing neurons. These include neurons that synthesise oxytocin, vasopressin, corticotropin-releasing hormone, thyrotropin-releasing hormone and somatostatin. While it is well established that these neurons control the secretion of neuroendocrine hormones, there is growing evidence that they also control the expression of important homeostatic behaviours. Here we review recent data showing a critical role of PVN neurons in controlling arousal, social behaviour, defensive behaviour and pain. Collectively, this suggests that the PVN is a key node in a wider neural network controlling behavioural states.

Abstract figure legend The paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus contains many different populations of neurons. Together, these neurons control numerous physiological functions and homeostatic behaviours. Created in BioRender. Iremonger, K. (2025) https://BioRender.com/d33p052