epithalamus
Sign in to saveThe epithalamus (: epithalami) is a posterior (dorsal) segment of the diencephalon. The epithalamus includes the habenular nuclei, the stria medullaris, the anterior and posterior paraventricular nuclei, the posterior commissure, and the pineal gland.
Key facts
- Brain.Name
- Epithalamus
- Brain.Latin
- epithalamus
- Brain.Image
- Epithalamus.png
- Brain.Caption
- Aspect of a brain sectioned in the median sagittal plane. Epithalamus labeled in red, by "habenular commissure", "pineal body", and "posterior commissure", with its projection anteriorly consisting stria medullaris
- Brain.IsPartOf
- Posterior segment of the diencephalon. The epithalamus includes the habenular nuclei, the stria medullaris, the anterior and posterior paraventricular nuclei, the posterior commissure, and the pineal gland.
via Wikipedia infobox
Research
13,844 papers- Neuron-astrocyte coupling in lateral habenula mediates depressive-like behaviors.Cell · 2025
- Stress dynamically modulates neuronal autophagy to gate depression onset.Nature · 2025
- Brain region-specific action of ketamine as a rapid antidepressant.Science (New York, N.Y.) · 2024
- SNO-EANO-EURACAN consensus on management of pineal parenchymal tumors.Neuro-oncology · 2024
- Asymmetry in the epithalamus of vertebrates.Journal of anatomy · 2001
via PubMed
~3 min read
Encyclopedic overview
7 sectionsContents
- Functions
- Components
- Clinical significance
- Sleep disorders
- References
- External links
- See also
The epithalamus (: epithalami) is a posterior (dorsal) segment of the diencephalon. The epithalamus includes the habenular nuclei, the stria medullaris, the anterior and posterior paraventricular nuclei, the posterior commissure, and the pineal gland.
==Functions== The function of the epithalamus is to connect the limbic system to other parts of the brain. The epithalamus also serves as a connecting point for the dorsal diencephalic conduction system, which is responsible for carrying information from the limbic forebrain to limbic midbrain structures. Some functions of its components include the secretion of melatonin from the pineal gland (circadian rhythms), regulation of motor pathways and emotions, and how energy is conserved in the body.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “epithalamus” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.