Neuropeptides

[Mentat]

Could anyone direct me to some article/book/paper on neuropeptides? Any information is appreciated, I just want to know about them. What is their activity in the body? I have heard (note: heard, not read) that they travel throughout the body...but I can't see what they would do, or what effect they could have. After all, there are no axon terminals in the cells permeating the body (except motor cells, I guess), so I don't see how they could be important facets of any normal process. However, I have heard of people talking about them as though they represent a relation between emotion and health; as well as many other, similar claims.

Again, I pretty much don't know anything about them (accept that they are a sort of neurotransmitter which seems to travel throughout the body, instead of just within synapses), so I'll appreciate any information I can get.

[Monique]

Hi Mentat, neuropeptides are a specific subtybe of neurotransmitters produced by the perikaryon, which is a neuron's cell body.

I think you might be more interested in neurotransmitters in general, such as adrenaline (epinephrine). You must know what that does. It is both a hormone and a neurotransmitter, which means it travels between neurons but also through the body.

[loseyourname]

The one person who claims that above all others is Candace Pert. If you can put up with her annoying self-promotion and patronizing writing, read her book Molecules of Emotion. It's a good introduction to the subject from the woman who discovered the opiate receptor and pretty much invented mind/body medicine.

[iansmith]

Here some abstract of review articles, if you are interrest I can also get the file when I at school.

Growth hormone deficiency and related disorders: insights into causation, diagnosis, and treatment. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=15194259)
Behavioral and physiological responses to anabolic-androgenic steroids. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=14505684)
Brain structures and neurotransmitters regulating aggression in cats: implications for human aggression. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=11263761)

[Moonbear]

If you're interested in neuropeptide functions in the peripheral nervous system, go to PubMed (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi) and type in the following keywords:
neuropeptides review peripheral

You'll get 70 pages of articles to choose from. You can narrow the search down more by choosing specific systems you're interested in or specific neuropeptides. I suggest scanning through some of the titles and see if there's something that strikes your interest that you can use to refine your search.

[Mentat]

Hi Mentat, neuropeptides are a specific subtybe of neurotransmitters produced by the perikaryon, which is a neuron's cell body.

I think you might be more interested in neurotransmitters in general, such as adrenaline (epinephrine). You must know what that does. It is both a hormone and a neurotransmitter, which means it travels between neurons but also through the body.

And are neuropeptides also both hormone and neurotransmitter?

[hitssquad]

If you're interested in neuropeptide functions in the peripheral nervous system, go to PubMed (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi) and type in the following keywords:
neuropeptides review peripheralTo make a PubMed URL that includes search terms, add the code

?CMD=Search&DB=pubmed(which normally appears after a search is performed) and the code

&term=termA or &term=termA+termB+termC (if you have more than one search term) where termA, termB, termC, etc. are your desired search terms. For example, to make a PubMed URL that links directly to a search for neuropeptides review peripheral, we would make a PubMed URL with &term=neuropeptides+review+peripheral at the end, thusly (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?CMD=Search&DB=pubmed&term=neuropeptides+review+peripheral):

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?CMD=Search&DB=pubmed&term=neuropeptides+review+peripheral


More PubMed URL-creation tips are available in the PubMed Help (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query/static/help/pmhelp.html) section (linked on the front page in the blue bar on the left as Help (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query/static/help/pmhelp.html)). Once in the Help section, click on Creating a Web Link (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query/static/linking.html):


URL Parameters

Base URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?


Search
Include search terms with or without Boolean operators. Spaces within a URL should be "escaped" by converting them to '+' signs, e.g., Biochem Soc Trans should be entered as Biochem+Soc+Trans.

term=search terms

PubMed:
Search PubMed for citations about hay fever published in 2003:
cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=hay+fever+AND+2003[pdat]