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Hypocretin as a Wakefulness Regulatory Peptide

  • Chapter
The Orexin/Hypocretin System

Part of the book series: Contemporary Clinical Neuroscience ((CCNE))

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Abstract

In the past few years, the hypocretins (also known as orexins) have been shown to be critical components of the brain circuitry that modulates the states of vigilance (1–3). Recent advances are yielding a clearer picture as to the mechanism of action of these peptides and how they control multiple circuits to produce a coherent behavioral output. Here we review the interactions of the hypocretinergic system with major neurotransmitter networks and discuss the role of the neurons that contain hypocretin in integrating information that dictates the state of arousal.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Molecular Biology and Neuropharmacology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA

    Luis de Lecea PhD & J. Gregor Sutcliffe PhD

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  1. Luis de Lecea PhD
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  2. J. Gregor Sutcliffe PhD
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Narcolepsy, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA

    Seiji Nishino MD, PhD

  2. Department of Pharmacology Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan

    Takeshi Sakurai MD, PhD

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de Lecea, L., Sutcliffe, J.G. (2006). Hypocretin as a Wakefulness Regulatory Peptide. In: Nishino, S., Sakurai, T. (eds) The Orexin/Hypocretin System. Contemporary Clinical Neuroscience. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1385/1-59259-950-8:141

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