title: Somatodendritic dynorphin release: orchestrating activity patterns of vasopressin neurons.
abstract: Most neurons in the central nervous system co-express peptides alongside their principal transmitter, yet the function of these peptides is largely unknown. Vasopressin neurons of the hypothalamic supraoptic nucleus and paraventricular nucleus contain among the highest concentrations of dynorphin found in the brain. Dynorphin, an endogenous opioid peptide, is co-localized in the same neurosecretory vesicles as vasopressin and is released alongside vasopressin from the dendrites and axon terminals of vasopressin neurons. We and others have shown that neuropeptide release from the soma and dendrites of vasopressin neurons activates vasopressin receptors and kappa-opioid receptors to cause activity-dependent modulation of vasopressin neuron activity, and that this is essential for activity patterning in vasopressin neurons.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Centre for Neuroendocrinology, University of Otago, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand.
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ludwig
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Leng
authors.forename: C W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Bourque
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials; D000818:Animals; D004399:Dynorphins / Q000378:metabolism*; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D014667:Vasopressins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D014667:Vasopressins; D004399:Dynorphins