G. Handelmann
1988
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0
Influential Citations
11
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Journal
Progress in brain research
Abstract
Publisher Summary This chapter describes the experiments that were initiated to determine whether the neuropeptides, a relatively new class of neurotransmitters and hormones, play a role in development. Experiments involving the three neuropeptides vasopressin (VP), substance P, and [met] enkephalin are described in the chapter. Neurotransmitters and neurohormones play a different role in the developing animal than they do in the adult. The strategy adopted was to alter the levels of a particular neuropeptide in a developing animal, and then, when the animal was fully mature, to test it for perturbations in physiological systems in which the peptide is known to play a role. VP is a neuropeptide contained in the brain and pituitary. The rats injected as neonates with VP exhibited polyuria as adults, indicating a long-term effect on their ability to regulate water balance. Substance P (SP) is a peptide with a wide distribution in the nervous system and several well-characterized physiological actions. Rats injected as neonates with either [met]-enkephalin or morphine were less sensitive to cutaneous thermal stimulation than were saline treated controls.