title: Neural plasticity in hypocretin neurons: the basis of hypocretinergic regulation of physiological and behavioral functions in animals.
abstract: The neuronal system that resides in the perifornical and lateral hypothalamus (Pf/LH) and synthesizes the neuropeptide hypocretin/orexin participates in critical brain functions across species from fish to human. The hypocretin system regulates neural activity responsible for daily functions (such as sleep/wake homeostasis, energy balance, appetite, etc.) and long-term behavioral changes (such as reward seeking and addiction, stress response, etc.) in animals. The most recent evidence suggests that the hypocretin system undergoes substantial plastic changes in response to both daily fluctuations (such as food intake and sleep-wake regulation) and long-term changes (such as cocaine seeking) in neuronal activity in the brain. The understanding of these changes in the hypocretin system is essential in addressing the role of the hypocretin system in normal physiological functions and pathological conditions in animals and humans. In this review, the evidence demonstrating that neural plasticity occurs in hypocretin-containing neurons in the Pf/LH will be presented and possible physiological, behavioral, and mental health implications of these findings will be discussed.
authors.affiliation: Section of Comparative Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine New Haven, CT, USA ; Program on Integrative Cell Signaling and Neurobiology of Metabolism (ICSNM), Yale University School of Medicine New Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Xiao-Bing
authors.initials: XB
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine New Haven, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Gretchen
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hermes
keywords: drug addiction; energy balance; hypocretin/orexin; perifornical/lateral hypothalamus; sleep-wake homeostasis