Neuropeptide News and Research

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Neuropeptide Y may hold key to exacerbating severe influenza

Severe influenza virus infection is characterized by a strong inflammatory response and profuse viral replication in lungs. These viruses, such as the notorious avian flu, have a high rate of death and to date there are no effective treatments.

10 Jan 2019

Researchers reveal brain mechanism that drives itch-evoked scratching behavior

It's a maddening cycle that has affected us all: it starts with an itch that triggers scratching, but scratching only makes the itchiness worse.

14 Dec 2018

Cocaine-addicted rats show long-lasting increases in number of orexin neurons

A study in cocaine-addicted rats reports long-lasting increases in the number of neurons that produce orexin—a chemical messenger important for sleep and appetite—that may be at the root of the addiction.

12 Sep 2018

Biochemist's startup secures license for developing technology that could treat PTSD

A biochemist's startup company announced Monday that it had secured an exclusive patent license agreement with the Air Force Research Laboratory for a breakthrough technology that could help military veterans suffering from a post-traumatic stress disorder.

28 Aug 2018

Injecting vasoactive intestinal peptide into the eye enhances corneal graft survival

A new study in the American Journal of Pathology reports for the first time that injection of neuropeptide vasoactive intestinal peptide directly into the eye of mice enhanced corneal graft survival.

7 Aug 2018

Research sheds light on pathways involved in transmitting itch sensations from skin to brain

Researchers from North Carolina State University have pinpointed a particular neuropeptide associated with transmitting itch signals in mice with atopic dermatitis.

14 Jun 2018

Researchers uncover why people with Parkinson's disease suffer from sleep disturbances

A team of researchers at VIB and KU Leuven has uncovered why people with a hereditary form of Parkinson's disease suffer from sleep disturbances.

8 Jun 2018

Hunger peptides sent through the brain's fluid cause appetite, shows study

A USC study shows the brain's plumbing system serves double duty, flushing waste and channeling a hunger molecule that tells you when you should eat.

1 Jun 2018

Scientists examine how specific eating patterns could help fight cancer and obesity

What we eat plays a significant role in our health. The Experimental Biology 2018 meeting (EB 2018) will showcase new research into how diet could be used to fight cancer and how specific eating patterns can encourage weight loss.

23 Apr 2018

Male fruit flies like sex and alcohol

Researchers at Bar-Ilan University in Israel have found that male fruit flies (Drosophilia melanogaster) enjoy ejaculation and sex and are also keen on alcohol consumption. The results of this novel study that shows that sexual gratification is preserved across species was published in the latest issue of the journal Current Biology this week.

19 Apr 2018

Finding the 'keyhole' to beat obesity at the cellular level

An international team has uncovered the potential to beat obesity at the cellular level, characterizing for the first time a complex, little-understood receptor type that, when activated, shuts off hunger.

19 Apr 2018

Research shows how interaction between nervous and immune systems occurs in lung infections

When the body is fighting infection, the immune system kicks into high gear. But emerging evidence hints at the involvement of another, rather surprising, player in this process: the nervous system.

5 Mar 2018

Oxytocin nasal spray strengthens mothers' brain responses to pictures of infant and adult faces

In a new study from the University of Tampere in Finland, nasally administered oxytocin spray strengthened brain responses to pictures of infant and adult faces in mothers of 1-year-old infants.

26 Feb 2018

Researchers find that tiny brain region plays key role in social memory formation

Research by a group of scientists at the Department of Physiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore have discovered that a tiny brain region plays a critical role in the formation of social memory and interaction.

15 Nov 2017

Researchers prove close cooperation between nervous system and the body’s bacterial population

A central aspect of life sciences is to explore the symbiotic cohabitation of animals, plants and humans with their specific bacterial communities. Scientists refer to the full set of microorganisms living on and inside a host organism as the microbiome.

26 Sep 2017

Heparin promotes food intake and body weight gain in animal models

Heparin is a medication widely used to prevent blood clotting; it is named after and mimics the naturally occurring anticoagulant in the body.

6 Sep 2017

Novel, ultra-rare damaging genetic variants may contribute to eating disorders

By combining whole exome sequencing, machine learning, and network analysis, researchers have identified new, ultra-rare gene mutations within specific biological pathways that may contribute to eating disorders.

5 Sep 2017

Scientists identify neurons that play crucial roles in connecting emotions and sleep

You may have experienced sleepless nights when you were anxious, stressed or too excited. Such emotions are well-known to affect wakefulness and can even cause insomnia, though the underlying mechanisms in our brain have still been unclear.

3 Jul 2017

UA researcher’s findings on estrogen may lead to promising treatment for hot flashes

Fifteen years ago, Dr. Naomi Rance was at work when she experienced her first hot flash. Rance, a physician and researcher at the University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson, took note.

29 Jun 2017

Research findings may pave way for miracle drug to treat narcolepsy

Narcolepsy, a serious sleep disorder in which patients often fall asleep uncontrollably, has been incurable because no effective therapeutic agents are available to date. Recent findings by Japanese scientists in the sleep institute may shed light on this challenging problem.

30 May 2017