Neuropeptide News and Research

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New article examines why some individuals exhibit stress-resilient characteristics

Adapting to Stress: Understanding the Neurobiology of Resilience, an article recently published in Behavioral Medicine, examines the way our bodies, specifically our brains, become "stress-resilient."

2 Sep 2016

New study may help develop effective medication for severe pain

The nerve cells that transmit pain signals in the body are called nociceptors. When activated they release pro-inflammatory neuropeptides. In order to recognise harmful external influences, nociceptors are equipped with a wide range of receptors.

30 Jun 2016

Photodynamic therapy effective in treating porphyrias but can be severely painful, cause inflammation

Severe paleness and photosensitivity are two symptoms of a rare group of hereditary diseases that affect haem, a substance in the blood. While these metabolic disorders - known as the porphyrias - are extremely rare, a similar effect is often deliberately triggered by dermatologists in localised areas during the treatment of pre-cancerous skin lesions and skin cancers.

24 Jun 2016

Oxytocin hormone plays role in facilitating perception of emotions

Studies have demonstrated that oxytocin (which acts as an hormone and also as a neurotransmitter in the brain) plays a role in facilitating the perception of emotions in other people's facial expressions.

14 Jun 2016

Additional drug treatment options to prevent migraine may offer hope to sufferers

Preventing or shortening the duration of migraine attacks - established drug treatment options and those that could shape future therapies were discussed at the Congress of European Academy of Neurology in Copenhagen.

1 Jun 2016

Neuropeptide plays role in driving rhythms of detoxification gene activity, study shows

A 24-hour rhythm of cellular detoxification in flies and mammals is coordinated by a neuropeptide that also drives feeding in both organisms, found a team led by Amita Sehgal, PhD, a professor of Neuroscience and director of the Chronobiology Program, in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

19 May 2016

Crtc switch activated during fasting helps halt spread of intestinal bacteria into bloodstream

A molecular pathway that is activated in the brain during fasting helps halt the spread of intestinal bacteria into the bloodstream, according to a new study by a team of researchers at the Salk Institute.

18 May 2016

Researchers identify biological pathway that explains why current asthma therapies fail in many cases

Asthma is an enormous public health problem that continues to grow larger, in part because scientists don't fully understand how it is caused. Existing therapies don't cure the disease and often don't even significantly alleviate the symptoms. Now, scientists from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Rutgers University have identified a biological pathway that potentially explains why current asthma therapies don't work well in many cases—and might be targeted to help those patients.

19 Apr 2016

New research sheds light on circadian rhythms

New research sheds light on how the rhythms of daily life are encoded in the brain. Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have discovered that different groups of neurons, those charged with keeping time, become active at different times of day despite being on the same molecular clock.

3 Mar 2016

CAMH, Impel NeuroPharma partner to advance novel treatment to alleviate depression

The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and Impel NeuroPharma have signed a licensing agreement to advance a new neuropeptide-based therapeutic approach shown to be effective in treating depression.

1 Mar 2016

Caltech researchers identify gene that causes severe insomnia when overactivated

Caltech biologists have performed the first large-scale screening in a vertebrate animal for genes that regulate sleep, and have identified a gene that when overactivated causes severe insomnia. Expression of the gene, neuromedin U (Nmu), also seems to serve as nature's stimulant--fish lacking the gene take longer to wake up in the morning and are less active during the day.

18 Feb 2016

New study pinpoints two tiny clusters of neurons responsible for changing normal breaths into sighs

"You must remember this: a kiss is just a kiss, a sigh is just a sigh." Contrary to the words immortalized by the piano singer in "Casablanca," a sigh is far more than a sigh. Heaving an unconscious sigh is a life-sustaining reflex that helps preserve lung function.

9 Feb 2016

New prognostic biomarker may help determine risk of prostate cancer-related death

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have identified a new prognostic biomarker: the neuropeptide pro-NPY, which may help determine the risk of dying from prostate cancer. This particular type of protein is very specific to prostate cancer cells and could help identify whether newly diagnosed patients require radical prostatectomy surgery or if it is safe to delay surgery.

28 Jan 2016

Determining Ectopeptidase Activity: An Interview with Professor Stephen Weber, University of Pittsburgh

The scope of the activity of neuropeptides is remarkably broad. For example, neuropeptides are involved in pain control, mood/depression/eating disorders, social and emotional behaviour, body weight, drug abuse, stress, reproduction, motor control, memory, and in maintaining neuronal health when they are stressed.

From Pittcon 14 Jan 2016

Pulmonary neuroendocrine cells act like sensor to orchestrate immune response

An uncommon and little-studied type of cell in the lungs has been found to act like a sensor, linking the pulmonary and central nervous systems to regulate immune response in reaction to environmental cues.

13 Jan 2016

Converting white fat cells into beige fat cells could help fight obesity

The body's ability to harness heat production by converting white fat cells, which store calories, into beige fat cells, which burn energy, could help fight obesity, according to researchers at Georgia State University.

17 Dec 2015

Scientists develop potent compound that promotes wakefulness, remedies sleep disorder narcolepsy

Hiroshi Nagase, a Professor at the International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS), University of Tsukuba, collaborated with Masashi Yanagisawa (Professor / Director of WPI-IIIS) and successfully developed a potent compound that promotes wakefulness and remedies the sleep disorder narcolepsy in model animals.

18 Nov 2015

Denator forms a new Scientific Advisory Board

Denator AB has announced that a new external expert advisory board has been formed. Karsten Fjärstedt, recently appointed as CEO comments, “It is a great honor for me to be entrusted to lead Denator forward in this new phase of development. With a pipeline of new exciting business opportunities and a strong Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) I am looking forward to realizing the full potential of the company technology”.

3 Nov 2015

UiO researchers test new nasal spray device for treating mental illness

Researchers at the University of Oslo have tested a new device for delivering hormone treatments for mental illness through the nose. This method was found to deliver medicine to the brain with few side effects.

27 Aug 2015

Atomic level images reveal how neuropeptide hormone neurotensin may activate its receptors

Many hormones and neurotransmitters work by binding to receptors on a cell's exterior surface. This activates receptors causing them to twist, turn and spark chemical reactions inside cells.

3 Aug 2015