Research progress of paraventricular nucleus of thalamus in the mechanism of general anesthesia
LU Yali
CHEN Wenjia
KE Zhidan
ZHOU Liang
Abstract：General anesthesia is widely used in clinical practice;however,the mechanism through which general anesthetics induce reversible loss of consciousness remains elusive.In recent years,with the rapid develop-ment of neurobiology,researchers have identified the thalamus as a key hub,not only for transmitting sensory information to the cortex and facilitating cortex-cortex communication,but also as an important site of the ascending arousal system,making it a long-standing focus in theoretical investigations into the neural basis of consciousness.A large number of studies have confirmed that the paraventricular thalamic nucleus serves as a key arousal nucleus within the thalamus,featuring extensive connections with brain regions involved in arousal regulation.This article systematically reviews the research progress on the neural mechanisms of the paraventricular thalamic nucleus in sleep-wake regulation and general anesthesia-induced loss of consciousness,aiming to provide a theoretical founda-tion for clarifying how general anesthetics regulate changes in consciousness.
Keywords：paraventricular thalamic nucleusgeneral anesthesiaarousal
Publication Date：2026-03-10
Online Publishing Date：2026-03-20(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：7( 892-898 )