Lab personnel
- Dr Karl Iremonger Senior Lecturer
- Dr Joon Kim Research Fellow
- Shao Zheng PhD Student
Research interests
The hypothalamus is an area of the brain that contains neural circuits that are essential for survival. We are specifically interested in one part of the hypothalamus called the paraventricular nucleus (PVN). Neurons in the PVN are activated in response to many different types of stress and in turn release neuropeptides both within the brain and into the circulation to control the body’s stress response.
We use electrophysiology, imaging, optogenetics and other techniques to understand how neural circuits within the PVN function. We are specifically interested in determining how stress responsive neurons in the PVN process information and adapt across different physiological and behavioral states.
Research topics
- Control of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) neuron excitability by retrograde neurotransmitters
- Chronic stress induced adaptations in hypothalamic brain circuits
- Imaging CRH neuron activity in vivo with genetically encoded calcium indicators
Selected publications
Abbasi, M., Augustine, R. A., Iremonger, K. J., & Brown, C. H. (2022). Central kisspeptin does not affect ERK1/2 or p38 phosphorylation in oxytocin neurons of late-pregnant rats. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 23(14), 7729. doi: 10.3390/ijms23147729
Abbasi, M., Perkinson, M. R., Seymour, A. J., Piet, R., Campbell, R. E., Iremonger, K. J., & Brown, C. H. (2022). Local kisspeptin excitation of rat oxytocin neurones in late pregnancy. Journal of Physiology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1113/jp282531
Jamieson, B. B., Kim, J. S., & Iremonger, K. J. (2022). Cannabinoid and vanilloid pathways mediate opposing forms of synaptic plasticity in corticotropin-releasing hormone neurons. Journal of Neuroendocrinology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1111/jne.13084
Power, E. M., & Iremonger, K. J. (2021). Plasticity of intrinsic excitability across the estrous cycle in hypothalamic CRH neurons. Scientific Reports, 11(1), 16700. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-96341-4
Perkinson, M. R., Kim, J. S., Iremonger, K. J., & Brown, C. H. (2021). Visualising oxytocin neurone activity in vivo: The key to unlocking central regulation of parturition and lactation [Invited review]. Journal of Neuroendocrinology, e13012. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1111/jne.13012
Nair, B. B., Khant Aung, Z., Porteous, R., Prescott, M., Glendining, K. A., Jenkins, D. E., Augustine, R. A., … Yip, S. H., Bouwer, G. T., Brown, C. H., Jasoni, C. L., Campbell, R. E., Bunn, S. J., Anderson, G. M., Grattan, D. R., Herbison, A. E., & Iremonger, K. J. (2021). Impact of chronic variable stress on neuroendocrine hypothalamus and pituitary in male and female C57BL/6J mice. Journal of Neuroendocrinology. Advance online publication. doi: 10.1111/jne.12972
Perkinson, M. R., Kim, J. S., Brown, C. H., & Iremonger, K. J. (2020). Characterisation of an oxytocin-ires-cre mouse model for recording oxytocin neuron bursts in behaving mice. FASEB Journal, 34(Suppl. 1). doi: 10.1096/fasebj.2020.34.s1.03560
Abbasi, M., Perkinson, M., Brown, C., & Iremonger, K. (2020). Kisspeptin regulation of oxytocin neuron activity in late pregnancy. FASEB Journal, 34(Suppl. 1). doi: 10.1096/fasebj.2020.34.s1.02418
Focke, C. M. B., & Iremonger, K. J. (2020). Rhythmicity matters: Circadian and ultradian patterns of HPA axis activity. Molecular & Cellular Endocrinology, 501, 110652. doi: 10.1016/j.mce.2019.110652
Focke, C. M. B., & Iremonger, K. (2019, September). Do hypothalamic CRH neurons express circadian and ultradian activity patterns? Verbal presentation at the Medical Sciences Congress (MedSci), Queenstown, New Zealand.
Abbasi, M., Perkinson, M. R., Iremonger, K. J., & Brown, C. H. (2019, August-September). Local kisspeptin regulation of oxytocin neuron activity in late pregnancy. Poster session presented at the Queenstown Molecular Biology (QMB) Meetings, Queenstown, New Zealand.
Power, E. M., & Iremonger, K. J. (2019, August-September). Ion channel mechanisms underlying sex differences in hypothalamic CRH neuron excitability. Verbal presentation at the Queenstown Molecular Biology (QMB) Meetings, Queenstown, New Zealand.
Kim, J. S., & Iremonger, K. J. (2019). Stress experience and hormone feedback tune distinct components of hypothalamic CRH neuron activity. In K. Hillman (Ed.), Proceedings of the 37th International Australasian Winter Conference on Brain Research (AWCBR). (pp. 69). Retrieved from http://www.otago.ac.nz/awcbr
Zheng, S., & Iremonger, K. J. (2019). Investigating the mechanisms driving circadian and sex differences in the stress axis. In K. Hillman (Ed.), Proceedings of the 37th International Australasian Winter Conference on Brain Research (AWCBR). (pp. 43). Retrieved from http://www.otago.ac.nz/awcbr
Power, E. M., & Iremonger, K. J. (2019). Understanding sex differences in neural circuits controlling stress. Proceedings of the Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting. 320.17/U16. SfN. Retrieved from https://www.sfn.org
Iremonger, K. J., Sherrington, A., Kim, J. S., Gouws, J., & Chandrasekera, D. (2019). Sexually dimorphic corticosteroid induced plasticity in corticotropin-releasing hormone neurons. Proceedings of the Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting. 320.16/U15. SfN. Retrieved from https://www.sfn.org
Focke, C. M. B., & Iremonger, K. (2019). Ultradian and circadian rhythms in hypothalamic CRH neuron activity and their relation to home cage behavior. Proceedings of the Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting. 320.115/U14. SfN. Retrieved from https://www.sfn.org
Kim, J. S., & Iremonger, K. J. (2019). Stress experience and hormone feedback tune distinct components of CRH neuron activity. Proceedings of the Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting. 320.14/U13. SfN. Retrieved from https://www.sfn.org
Kim, J. S., Han, S. Y., & Iremonger, K. J. (2019). Stress experience and hormone feedback tune distinct components of hypothalamic CRH neuron activity. Nature Communications, 10, 5696. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-13639-8
Kim, J. S., & Iremonger, K. J. (2019). Temporally tuned corticosteroid feedback regulation of the stress axis. Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism, 30(11), 783-792. doi: 10.1016/j.tem.2019.07.005
Bittar, T. P., Nair, B. B., Kim, J. S., Chandrasekera, D., Sherrington, A., & Iremonger, K. J. (2019). Corticosterone mediated functional and structural plasticity in corticotropin-releasing hormone neurons. Neuropharmacology, 154, 79-86. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2019.02.017
Sherrington, A. J., Kim, J. S., & Iremonger, K. J. (2018, November). Sexually dimorphic corticosteroid negative feedback in hypothalamic CRH neurons. Poster session presented at the Women’s Wellbeing Symposium, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Abbasi, M., Iremonger, K. J., & Brown, C. H. (2018, August). Kisspeptin regulation of oxytocin neuron activity in late pregnancy. Verbal presentation at the Medical Sciences Congress (MedSci), Queenstown, New Zealand.
Kim, J. S., & Iremonger, K. J. (2018, August). A duet of stress adaptation and negative feedback tunes stress neuron activity dynamics. Verbal presentation at the Medical Sciences Congress (MedSci), Queenstown, New Zealand.
Sherrington, A. J., Kim, J. S., & Iremonger, K. J. (2018, August). Sexually dimorphic corticosteroid negative feedback in hypothalamic CRH neurons. Poster session presented at the Medical Sciences Congress (MedSci), Queenstown, New Zealand.
