Abstract
In 1998, two groups independently identified the hypocretins, also known as orexins, as two hypothalamic peptides derived from the same precursor expressed in a few thousand neurones restricted to the perifornical area. A decade later, an amazing set of discoveries has demonstrated a key role for this neurotransmitter system in arousal and beyond. Here I review some of the experiments that led to these discoveries and the implications in the neurobiology of the hypothalamus and our understanding of brain arousal.
Publication types
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Historical Article
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Review
MeSH terms
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Animals
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Arousal / physiology*
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Brain / physiology
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History, 20th Century
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History, 21st Century
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Humans
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Hypothalamus / metabolism
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Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / history
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Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / metabolism*
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Neurobiology / history
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Neurobiology / trends*
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Neurons / metabolism
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Neuropeptides / history
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Neuropeptides / metabolism*
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Neurotransmitter Agents / metabolism*
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Orexins
Substances
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Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins
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Neuropeptides
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Neurotransmitter Agents
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Orexins