scholarly journals The Role of Neuropeptide Y in the Nucleus Accumbens

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (14) ◽  
pp. 7287
Author(s):  
Masaki Tanaka ◽  
Shunji Yamada ◽  
Yoshihisa Watanabe

Neuropeptide Y (NPY), an abundant peptide in the central nervous system, is expressed in neurons of various regions throughout the brain. The physiological and behavioral effects of NPY are mainly mediated through Y1, Y2, and Y5 receptor subtypes, which are expressed in regions regulating food intake, fear and anxiety, learning and memory, depression, and posttraumatic stress. In particular, the nucleus accumbens (NAc) has one of the highest NPY concentrations in the brain. In this review, we summarize the role of NPY in the NAc. NPY is expressed principally in medium-sized aspiny neurons, and numerous NPY immunoreactive fibers are observed in the NAc. Alterations in NPY expression under certain conditions through intra-NAc injections of NPY or receptor agonists/antagonists revealed NPY to be involved in the characteristic functions of the NAc, such as alcohol intake and drug addiction. In addition, control of mesolimbic dopaminergic release via NPY receptors may take part in these functions. NPY in the NAc also participates in fat intake and emotional behavior. Accumbal NPY neurons and fibers may exert physiological and pathophysiological actions partly through neuroendocrine mechanisms and the autonomic nervous system.

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (7) ◽  
pp. 750-758 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Wu ◽  
Hengxun He ◽  
Zhibin Cheng ◽  
Yueyu Bai ◽  
Xi Ma

Obesity is one of the main challenges of public health in the 21st century. Obesity can induce a series of chronic metabolic diseases, such as diabetes, dyslipidemia, hypertension and nonalcoholic fatty liver, which seriously affect human health. Gut-brain axis, the two-direction pathway formed between enteric nervous system and central nervous system, plays a vital role in the occurrence and development of obesity. Gastrointestinal signals are projected through the gut-brain axis to nervous system, and respond to various gastrointestinal stimulation. The central nervous system regulates visceral activity through the gut-brain axis. Brain-gut peptides have important regulatory roles in the gut-brain axis. The brain-gut peptides of the gastrointestinal system and the nervous system regulate the gastrointestinal movement, feeling, secretion, absorption and other complex functions through endocrine, neurosecretion and paracrine to secrete peptides. Both neuropeptide Y and peptide YY belong to the pancreatic polypeptide family and are important brain-gut peptides. Neuropeptide Y and peptide YY have functions that are closely related to appetite regulation and obesity formation. This review describes the role of the gutbrain axis in regulating appetite and maintaining energy balance, and the functions of brain-gut peptides neuropeptide Y and peptide YY in obesity. The relationship between NPY and PYY and the interaction between the NPY-PYY signaling with the gut microbiota are also described in this review.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jaromir Myslivecek

Social species form organizations that support individuals because the consequent social behaviors help these organisms survive. The isolation of these individuals may be a stressor. We reviewed the potential mechanisms of the effects of social isolation on cholinergic signaling and vice versa how changes in cholinergic signaling affect changes due to social isolation.There are two important problems regarding this topic. First, isolation schemes differ in their duration (1–165 days) and initiation (immediately after birth to adulthood). Second, there is an important problem that is generally not considered when studying the role of the cholinergic system in neurobehavioral correlates: muscarinic and nicotinic receptor subtypes do not differ sufficiently in their affinity for orthosteric site agonists and antagonists. Some potential cholinesterase inhibitors also affect other targets, such as receptors or other neurotransmitter systems. Therefore, the role of the cholinergic system in social isolation should be carefully considered, and multiple receptor systems may be involved in the central nervous system response, although some subtypes are involved in specific functions. To determine the role of a specific receptor subtype, the presence of a specific subtype in the central nervous system should be determined using search in knockout studies with the careful application of specific agonists/antagonists.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yue Shen ◽  
HaiXiang Ma ◽  
XiTing Lian ◽  
LeYuan Gu ◽  
Qian Yu ◽  
...  

AbstractSudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is the fatal cause leading to the death of epilepsy patients with anti-epileptic drug resistance. However, the underlying mechanism of SUDEP remains to be elusive. Our previous study demonstrated that enhancement of serotonin (5-HT) synthesis by intraperitoneal (IP) injection of 5-hydroxytryptophan in brain significantly reduced the incidence of seizure-induced respiratory arrest (S-IRA) in DBA/1 mice SUDEP models. Given that 5-HT2A receptor (5-HT2AR) acts an important role in mediating respiration system in brain, we hypothesized that 5-HT2AR is of great significance to modulate S-IRA and SUDEP. To test this hypothesis, we examined whether the decreased incidence S-IRA evoked by either acoustic stimulation or PTZ by blocking 5-HT2AR by administration with ketanserin (KET), a selective antagonist of 5HT2AR, in DBA/1 mice SUDEP models to test the role of 5-HT2AR modulating S-IRA. Our results suggested that the decreased incidence of S-IRA by 5-Hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), a precursor for central nervous system (CNS) serotonin (5-HT) synthesis, was significantly reversed by IP and intracerebroventricularly (ICV) injection of ketanserin in our models. Thus, our data suggested that 5-HT2AR in the brain may be a potential and specific target to prevent SUDEP.


Psychiatry ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 125-134
Author(s):  
E. F. Vasilyeva ◽  
O. S. Brusov

Background: at present, the important role of the monocyte-macrophage link of immunity in the pathogenesis of mental diseases has been determined. In the first and second parts of our review, the cellular and molecular mechanisms of activation of monocytes/macrophages, which secreting proinflammatory CD16 receptors, cytokines, chemokines and receptors to them, in the development of systemic immune inflammation in the pathogenesis of somatic diseases and mental disorders, including schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder (BAD) and depression were analyzed. The association of high levels of proinflammatory activity of monocytes/macrophages in patients with mental disorders with somatic comorbidity, including immune system diseases, is shown. It is known that proinflammatory monocytes of peripheral blood, as a result of violation of the integrity of the hematoencephalic barrier can migrate to the central nervous system and activate the resident brain cells — microglia, causing its activation. Activation of microglia can lead to the development of neuroinammation and neurodegenerative processes in the brain and, as a result, to cognitive disorders. The aim of review: to analyze the results of the main scientific studies concerning the role of cellular and molecular mechanisms of peripheral blood monocytes interaction with microglial cells and platelets in the development of neuroinflammation in the pathogenesis of mental disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Material and methods: keywords “mental disorders, AD, proinflammatory monocytes, microglia, neuroinflammation, cytokines, chemokines, cell adhesion molecules, platelets, microvesicles” were used to search for articles of domestic and foreign authors published over the past 30 years in the databases PubMed, eLibrary, Science Direct and EMBASE. Conclusion: this review analyzes the results of studies which show that monocytes/macrophages and microglia have similar gene expression profiles in schizophrenia, BAD, depression, and AD and also perform similar functions: phagocytosis and inflammatory responses. Monocytes recruited to the central nervous system stimulate the increased production of proinflammatory cytokines IL-1, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), chemokines, for example, MCP-1 (Monocyte chemotactic protein-1) by microglial cells. This promotes the recruitment of microglial cells to the sites of neuronal damage, and also enhances the formation of the brain protein beta-amyloid (Aβ). The results of modern studies are presented, indicating that platelets are involved in systemic inflammatory reactions, where they interact with monocytes to form monocyte-platelet aggregates (MTA), which induce the activation of monocytes with a pro inflammatory phenotype. In the last decade, it has been established that activated platelets and other cells of the immune system, including monocytes, detached microvesicles (MV) from the membrane. It has been shown that MV are involved as messengers in the transport of biologically active lipids, cytokines, complement, and other molecules that can cause exacerbation of systemic inflammatory reactions. The presented review allows us to expand our knowledge about the cellular and molecular aspects of the interaction of monocytes/macrophages with microglial cells and platelets in the development of neuroinflammation and cognitive decline in the pathogenesis of mental diseases and in AD, and also helps in the search for specific biomarkers of the clinical severity of mental disorder in patients and the prospects for their response to treatment.


Author(s):  
Patricia S. Churchland ◽  
Terrence J. Sejnowski

This chapter examines the physical mechanisms in nervous systems in order to elucidate the structural bases and functional principles of synaptic plasticity. Neuroscientific research on plasticity can be divided into four main streams: the neural mechanism for relatively simple kinds of plasticity, such as classical conditioning or habituation; anatomical and physiological studies of temporal lobe structures, including the hippocampus and the amygdala; study of the development of the visual system; and the relation between the animal's genes and the development of its nervous system. The chapter first considers the role of the mammalian hippocampus in learning and memory before discussing Donald Hebb's views on synaptic plasticity. It then explores the mechanisms underlying neuronal plasticity and those that decrease synaptic strength, the relevance of time with respect to plasticity, and the occurrence of plasticity during the development of the nervous system. It also describes modules, modularity, and networks in the brain.


2022 ◽  
pp. 109-126
Author(s):  
Omar El Hiba ◽  
Hicham Chatoui ◽  
Nadia Zouhairi ◽  
Lahoucine Bahi ◽  
Lhoussaine Ammouta ◽  
...  

Since December 2019, the world has been shaken by the spread of a highly pathogen virus, causing severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS-Cov2), which emerged in Wuhan, China. SARS-Cov2 is known to cause acute pneumonia: the cardinal feature of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Clinical features of the disease include respiratory distress, loss of spontaneous breathing, and sometimes neurologic signs such as headache and nausea and anosmia, leading to suppose a possible involvement of the nervous system as a potential target of SARS-CoV2. The chapter will shed light on the recent clinical and experimental data sustaining the involvement of the nervous system in the pathophysiology of COVID-19, based on several case reports and experimental data reporting the possible transmission of SARS-CoV2 throughout the peripheral nerves to the brain cardiorespiratory centers. Thus, understanding the role of the nervous system in the course of clinical symptoms of COVID-19 is important in determining the appropriate therapeutic approach to combat the disease.


Author(s):  
Mark Walterfang ◽  
Ramon Mocellin ◽  
Dennis Velakoulis

This chapter examines the role of neurometabolic, neuroendocrine, and mitochondrial disorders in causing neuropsychiatric syndromes. It examines how disorders of cellular metabolic processes, particularly those that affect the brain, can result in major psychiatric syndromes and the over-representation of some neurometabolic disorders in psychiatric illness. It also discusses a range of endocrine disorders, particularly disorders of increased or reduced endocrine function and endocrine tumours, in producing psychiatric syndromes. The chapter also reviews the role of mitochondrial disorders in disrupting central nervous system processes and metabolism, and how some mitochondrial disorders result in psychiatric illness.


2006 ◽  
Vol 361 (1471) ◽  
pp. 1159-1185 ◽  
Author(s):  
B Beck

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is one the most potent orexigenic peptides found in the brain. It stimulates food intake with a preferential effect on carbohydrate intake. It decreases latency to eat, increases motivation to eat and delays satiety by augmenting meal size. The effects on feeding are mediated through at least two receptors, the Y1 and Y5 receptors. The NPY system for feeding regulation is mostly located in the hypothalamus. It is formed of the arcuate nucleus (ARC), where the peptide is synthesized, and the paraventricular (PVN), dorsomedial (DMN) and ventromedial (VMN) nuclei and perifornical area where it is active. This activity is modulated by the hindbrain and limbic structures. It is dependent on energy availability, e.g. upregulation with food deprivation or restriction, and return to baseline with refeeding. It is also sensitive to diet composition with variable effects of carbohydrates and fats. Leptin signalling and glucose sensing which are directly linked to diet type are the most important factors involved in its regulation. Absence of leptin signalling in obesity models due to gene mutation either at the receptor level, as in the Zucker rat, the Koletsky rat or the db / db mouse, or at the peptide level, as in ob / ob mouse, is associated with increased mRNA abundance, peptide content and/or release in the ARC or PVN. Other genetic obesity models, such as the Otsuka–Long–Evans–Tokushima Fatty rat, the agouti mouse or the tubby mouse, are characterized by a diminution in NPY expression in the ARC nucleus and by a significant increase in the DMN. Further studies are necessary to determine the exact role of NPY in these latter models. Long-term exposure to high-fat or high-energy palatable diets leads to the development of adiposity and is associated with a decrease in hypothalamic NPY content or expression, consistent with the existence of a counter-regulatory mechanism to diminish energy intake and limit obesity development. On the other hand, an overactive NPY system (increased mRNA expression in the ARC associated with an upregulation of the receptors) is characteristic of rats or rodent strains sensitive to dietary-induced obesity. Finally, NPY appears to play an important role in body weight and feeding regulation, and while it does not constitute the only target for drug treatment of obesity, it may nevertheless provide a useful target in conjunction with others.


2016 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 449-455 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ghulam Abbas ◽  
Wajahat Mahmood ◽  
Nurul Kabir

AbstractDespite their possible causative role, targeting amyloidosis, tau phosphorylation, acetylcholine esterase, glutamate, oxidative stress and mitochondrial metabolism have not yet led to the development of drugs to cure Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Recent preclinical and clinical reports exhibit a surge in interest in the role of GABAergic neurotransmission in the pathogenesis of AD. The interaction among GABAergic signaling, amyloid-β and acetylcholine is shown to affect the homeostasis between excitation (glutamate) and inhibition (GABA) in the brain. As a consequence, over-excitation leads to neurodegeneration (excitotoxicity) and impairment in the higher level functions. Previously, the glutamate arm of this balance received the most attention. Recent literature suggests that over-excitation is primarily mediated by dysfunctional GABA signaling and can possibly be restored by rectifying anomalous metabolism observed in the GABAergic neurons during AD. Additionally, neurogenesis and synaptogenesis have also been linked with GABAergic signaling. This association may provide a basis for the needed repair mechanism. Furthermore, several preclinical interventional studies revealed that targeting various GABA receptor subtypes holds potential in overcoming the memory deficits associated with AD. In conclusion, the recent scientific literature suggests that GABAergic signaling presents itself as a promising target for anti-AD drug development.


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