title: The hypocretin neuron system: an arousal system in the human brain.
abstract: Hypocretins are recently discovered neuropeptides produced by a small group of posterior hypothalamic neurons which project widely over the neuroaxis. In this study, we note that hypocretin neuron perikarya in the human brain are localized to the perifornical region of the posterior hypothalamus, extending into the lateral hypothalamus. These neurons lightly innervate all areas of cerebral cortex studied in a variable pattern with denser innervation of association cortex than primary motor or sensory cortex. There is a dense innervation of hypothalamus, locus coeruleus, raphe nuclei, midline thalamus and nucleus of the diagonal band-nucleus basalis complex of the forebrain. This pattern of projections from the hypocretin neurons is compatible with an important role in arousal and the maintenance of the waking state.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.
authors.forename: R Y
authors.initials: RY
authors.lastname: Moore
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Abrahamson
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Van Den Pol
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology*; D020532:Basal Nucleus of Meynert / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D004525:Efferent Pathways / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007034:Hypothalamus, Posterior / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D008125:Locus Coeruleus / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009290:Narcolepsy / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D009479:Neuropeptides / Q000378:metabolism*; D000068797:Orexins; D017729:Presynaptic Terminals / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D011903:Raphe Nuclei / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D013788:Thalamus / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D009479:Neuropeptides; D000068797:Orexins