All articles tagged with #neuropeptide y
Research reveals a brainstem circuit involving Y1 receptor neurons that can suppress long-term pain by prioritizing survival needs like hunger and fear, opening new avenues for pain treatment targeting brain mechanisms rather than injury sites.
Scientists discovered a specific brain cell group in mice linked to persistent pain, which could lead to new treatments for chronic pain in humans, by manipulating neuropeptide Y signaling to reduce pain perception.
Research suggests that increased neuropeptide Y (NPY) and dopamine (DA) in the human nucleus accumbens (NAc) may have contributed to enhanced brain development but also made humans more vulnerable to eating disorders and substance abuse. NPY is associated with reward systems, emotional behavior, and increased alcohol use, drug addiction, and fat intake. The study highlights that the human brain has denser NPY innervation in the NAc compared to other primates, potentially influencing prosocial behaviors and contributing to the success of early human ancestors. The findings suggest that overeating and addiction may have deep evolutionary origins in the human brain.
A study conducted on mice by researchers at Australia's Garvan Institute of Medical Research has found that chronic stress shuts down the brain's lateral habenula, the region responsible for controlling hunger and fullness, leading to overeating. The study suggests that stress dampens the brain's natural response to satiety, allowing reward signals to stay active and encouraging the consumption of highly palatable foods high in sugar, fat, and calories. The molecule Neuropeptide Y (NPY) plays a key role in this process, as it reduces anxiety but also prompts overeating. The findings are believed to apply to humans as well, as the neural architecture is similar.