Year: 2022
Type: editorial
Abstract: Intersection of Hormones and Neuropeptides in the BrainMany compounds beyond "classic neurotransmitters" exert profound influences on the brain and behavior.Among these, neuropeptides and hormones play a crucial role during the development of the nervous system, in the regulation of behaviors, and in the etiologies of behavioral pathologies or disorders."These chemical messengers, however, or "hormones" (from óρµ άω, I excite or arouse), as we might call them, have to be carried from the organ where they are produced to the organ which they affect by means of the blood stream and the continually recurring physiological needs of the organism must determine their repeated production and circulation through the body" (Starling, 1905).It was with this statement that, in 1905, renowned British physiologist Ernest Starling gave birth to the concept of "hormones" as we know it today, when describing "substances produced for effecting the correlation of organs within the body, through the intermediation of the blood stream" (Starling, 1905).Our definition of hormones has not changed but by little since 1905, which is to say there are now several more hormones beyond secretin and includes a variety of chemical messengers secreted from endocrine glands directly into the blood stream relaying signals to other organs where they exert some influence on the recipient organ's physiology.While some similarities exist, hormones are different from neuropeptides, which are small chain amino acids synthesized and secreted by neurons or neurosecretory cells that act as signaling molecules to nearby recipient cells.Our appreciation of neuropeptides arose, in part, from seminal work by Victor Mutt (1923-1998), Berta Scharrer (1906-1995), and Ernst Scharrer (1905-1965), among other early pioneers, who elucidated the fundamental importance of neurosecretion and peptides for the regulation of physiological functions.Following on the work of these early pioneers, the late 1960s and early 1970s brought a wave of discoveries revealing how peptides affect neurobehavioral function.Much of this built on David de Wied's groundbreaking discoveries demonstrating the important role of peptides as signaling molecules in the nervous system, particularly his research into the influence of peptide hormones adrenocorticotropin releasing hormone (ACTH), melanocyte-stimulating hormone (MSH), and vasopressin on brain function and behavior (Gispen, 2010).Ongoing advances in neuroscience techniques, as well as novel questions posed to uncover the mechanism of interaction at the molecular, cellular, and genetic level continue to expand our understanding of neuropeptides and their role in neural function.To date, too many neuropeptides have been discovered to list in this brief introduction, however, some of the more commonly recognized include vasopressin, cholecystokinin (CCK), substance P, β-endorphins, prolactin, enkephalins, galanin, kisspeptins, and oxytocin.While this is by no means an exhaustive list, it provides insight into the diversity of peptides that
Authors: Susan L. Zup, Jin Ho Park, Juan M. Dominguez
Language: English
Subfield: Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,950
OpenAlex ID: W4224297479