Neuropeptide News and Research

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Exploring ketamine's potential in the fight against treatment-resistant depression

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a leading cause of disability worldwide, with a significant proportion of patients (10-20%) progressing to treatment-resistant depression (TRD).

19 Feb 2025

How exercise affects appetite in obese men

Researchers examine how appetite-associated factors impact appetite perception in obese males.

3 Feb 2025

Early brain changes in Huntington’s disease detected two decades before symptoms

Subtle changes in the brain, detectable through advanced imaging, blood and spinal fluid analysis, happen approximately twenty years before a clinical motor diagnosis in people with Huntington's disease, finds a new study led by UCL researchers.

17 Jan 2025

Professor Inga Neumann advances understanding of oxytocin and social fear

In a comprehensive Genomic Press Interview, Professor Inga Neumann, Chair of the Department of Behavioural and Molecular Neurobiology at the University of Regensburg, reveals groundbreaking insights into how oxytocin shapes social behavior and emotional responses in the brain.

24 Dec 2024

New discovery in the peripheral nervous system could help control obesity

An international team of researchers has discovered a new component of the peripheral nervous system that acts by increasing energy metabolism in the body.

25 Nov 2024

Neuropeptides influence T cell differentiation during viral infections

T helper (TH) cells are essential immune cells that help other immune cells function effectively. When activated in response to environmental stimuli, these cells can differentiate into either TH1 cells, which fight against viruses and intracellular pathogens, or TH2 cells, which fight against extracellular pathogens like bacteria and parasites.

12 Nov 2024

New insights into early Huntington's disease mechanisms

Researchers uncover a link between impaired glutathione–ascorbate metabolism and early dopamine increases in Huntington's disease, suggesting GSTO2 as a potential therapeutic target to manage motor dysfunction.

4 Nov 2024

Bioactive peptides from Chlorella vulgaris for therapeutic applications

Chlorella vulgaris is a green, photosynthetic microalga in the phylum Chlorophyta. The goal of our study was to perform a bioinformatics analysis of Photosystem I P700 chlorophyll a apoprotein A2, one of its photosynthesis-related proteins, and to hunt for potent bioactive peptides.

27 Oct 2024

Research uncovers how parasitic worms evade itch response

Ever had an itchy nose or, worse, an unreachable spot on your back that drives you mad? Now imagine an itch that refuses to go away, no matter how hard or long you scratch.

26 Oct 2024

Perceived stress can directly trigger psoriasis relapse

Innovative research has provided compelling evidence that perceived stress can directly trigger the relapse of psoriatic skin lesions. The study, presented today at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) Congress 2024, is the first to scientifically validate this connection in vivo.

26 Sep 2024

Cellular sludge around hunger neurons linked to worsening diabetes and obesity

Investigating ECM changes in the hypothalamus reveals mechanisms behind insulin resistance, offering insights into obesity and metabolic disease treatment.

19 Sep 2024

GLP-2 regulates appetite by influencing gut-brain communication and gastrointestinal motility

Researchers examine the role of GLP-2 in regulating food intake through its effects on gastrointestinal motility and satiety signals, offering insights into potential obesity treatments.

12 Sep 2024

Exploring the role of suvorexant in reducing delirium among older adults

Delirium is a sudden onset and temporary state of disturbed consciousness or cognition, occurring due to underlying medical issues like fever or alcohol withdrawal.

29 Aug 2024

Scientists discover how a gut insulin antagonist controls fat loss in C. elegans by modulating brain signals

Researchers have identified an endogenous insulin antagonist, INS-7, in Caenorhabditis elegans that modulates fat loss by inhibiting a gut-to-brain signaling pathway involving the neuropeptide FLP-7.

27 Aug 2024

Breakthrough compound targets appetite and tau protein in obesity and Alzheimer's

Scientists on the team of Dr Lenka Maletínská have developed a promising new compound derived from one of the peptides naturally occurring in the brain.

21 Aug 2024

Sensory nerves drive breast cancer growth and spread, study reveals

Cancer doesn't grow in a vacuum - each tumor grows in a particular microenvironment within the body and spreads through a tangled web of vasculature and nerves.

7 Aug 2024

Exercise boosts hormone levels: New research shows increased oxytocin and cortisol in urine and saliva

Research shows that both urine and saliva samples effectively capture oxytocin and cortisol fluctuations in response to physical exercise, highlighting the robustness of these non-invasive methods.

22 Jul 2024

Study: Danger circuit relies on neuropeptides, not neurotransmitters

In the split second as you accidentally touch the hot handle of a cast iron skillet, pain and a sense of danger rush in.

22 Jul 2024

High-resolution structures of SSTR5 reveal key interactions with neuropeptide and drug agonists

Somatostatin receptors (SSTRs) constitute a crucial family of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) that play pivotal roles in regulating hormone secretion and inhibiting tumor growth.

21 Jun 2024

Research points to a potential approach to mitigating diabetes risk from antipsychotic medications

New University of Pittsburgh research points to a potential approach to reducing the risk of diabetes associated with widely prescribed antipsychotic medications.

13 Jun 2024