Peptides and Psychiatry, Part 1:
How Synthesis of Neuropeptides Differs
From Classical Neurotransmitter Synthesis
Issue: Neuropeptides and their receptors are increasingly targets for novel psychotropic drugs. Synthesis, storage, and release of the neuropeptides differ in important ways from these same processes for the classical monoamine neurotransmitters.
| This is the first of a 3-part series on
peptides and psychiatry. Part 1 is a visual lesson on
molecular aspects of how these interesting
neurotransmitters are synthesized, stored, and released. Part 2 explores a very exciting
family of neuropeptides with potentially important
therapeutic activities, namely the tachykinins, also
called neurokinins, of which substance P is the best
known example. Part 3 reviews
interesting developments with substance P antagonists as
novel antidepressants in a visual feature called
"Substance P and Serendipity: Novel Psychotropics
Are a Possibility." Brainstorms aims to provide updates of novel concepts emerging from the neurosciences that have relevance to practitioners. From the Clinical Neuroscience Research Center in San Diego and the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California San Diego. |
REFERENCES 1. Feldman RS, Meyes JS, Quenzer LF. Principles of Neuropsychopharmacology. Sunderland, Mass: Sinauer Assoc; 1997 2. Otsuka M, Yoshioka IC. Neurotransmitter functions of mammalian tachykinins. Physiol Rev 1993;73:229-308 3. Cooper JR, Bloom FE, Roth RH. The Biochemical Basis of Neuropharmacology. New York, NY: Oxford University Press; 1996 4. Hokfelt T, Johansson O, Ljungdahl A, et al. Peptidergic neurons. Nature 1980;284:515-521 |
