NPY

This shows someone being poked with acupuncture needles

·August 12, 2020·7 min read

Electroacupuncture Activates Inflammation-Regulating Pathways and Tames Cytokine Storm

Using electroacupuncture, researchers stimulated the vagus-adrenal axis to induce secretion of dopamine from chromaffin cells in the adrenal glands. Mice exposed to this treatment had lower levels of three types of inflammation-inducing cytokines and improved survival chances over those who did not receive electroacupuncture. Animals treated with the method immediately before they developed cytokine storms experienced lower levels of inflammation during their disease and an increase in survival odds from 20% to 80%.

Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·June 5, 2020·5 min read

Chemical messenger in brain could point to better treatments for anxiety

Corticotropin-releasing factor and neuropeptide Y work in synchronized opposition to each other to remodel and rewire neurons in the amygdala as a response to stress. The process, researchers say, can be manually reversed to help relieve anxiety.

Featured Neurology Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·January 8, 2020·4 min read

Peptide reduced epileptic seizures in human brain tissue

The neuropeptide NPY reduces seizures in human brain tissue.

This shows neurons in the central amygdala

Featured Neuroscience

·April 25, 2019·4 min read

Comfort food leads to more weight gain during stress

A combination of chronic stress and high-calorie diets raised insulin levels tenfold in the amygdala of mice. Prolonged high levels of insulin in the central amygdala resulted in neurons becoming desensitized to insulin. The desensitized neurons boosted NPY levels, which promoted eating and reduced the normal homeostasis response to burn calories. The findings may shed light on why some indulge in high-calorie foods when stressed, and why this may lead to obesity.