Abstract
The peptides, or rather the peptides produced by the brain, provide a splendid example of the way in which research aimed at the resolution of one scientific problem sometimes uncovers seemingly unrelated information of immense general benefit. In this case, very soon after the chemicals controlling the output of hormones from the pituitary gland, the releasing factors, were identified, study of their occurrence in the brain revealed that they could be found far away from the hypothalamus, and thus might have some other function. These observations were the first of many pointing to the conclusion that peptides like the thyrotrophin releasing factor, the first such compound studied in any detail, might well act as neurotransmitters. The importance of the idea that peptides of this nature might be involved in communication between nerve cells cannot be underestimated, for we now know that peptides can cause drinking, induce feelings of satiety, euphoria, and anxiety, and affect learning and memory, as well as possibly influencing sexual function. Accordingly, they deserve a chapter to themselves although some of the activities of vasopressin, oxytocin and ACTH have been encountered earlier and will recur subsequently.
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Further Reading
Bloom, F.E. (1984). The functional significance of neurotransmitter diversity. American Journal of Physiology, 246, C184–94.
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© 1988 Bernard T. Donovan
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Donovan, B.T. (1988). Peptide Humors. In: Humors, Hormones and the Mind. Palgrave, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-19025-6_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-19025-6_6
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