Histamine Function in Nervous Systems

Chapter
First Online:
Part of the The Receptors book series (REC, volume 28)

Abstract

Histamine is evolutionarily highly conserved as a signaling molecule, a neuromodulator, and a neurotransmitter from bacteria to mammals that fulfills basic demands of living like the organization of behavioral state. From mussels to mammals, it gates ion channels like classical ionotropic transmitters. These relatively neglected functions are treated for arthropods and mollusks. In vertebrate brains, histamine actions are mostly mediated by three of the four known G-protein-coupled receptors: H1R, H2R, and H3R. Histamine also modifies other receptor proteins through allosteric interactions. We describe and discuss the anatomical, biophysical, and physiological properties of histaminergic neurons as well as their projections and actions on target neurons.

Keywords

Histaminergic neurons Electrophysiology Invertebrates Mammals Hypothalamus Sleep and waking Histamine receptors Neural plasticity 
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Copyright information

© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Faculty of Medicine, Department of Neuro- and Sensory PhysiologyHeinrich-Heine-University DüsseldorfDüsseldorfGermany
  2. 2.Department of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical PsychologyHeinrich-Heine-University DüsseldorfDüsseldorfGermany

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