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. 2013 Mar 22:4:36.
doi: 10.3389/fendo.2013.00036. eCollection 2013.

Diverse roles of neurotensin agonists in the central nervous system

Mona Boules  1 , Zhimin Li, Kristin Smith, Paul Fredrickson, Elliott Richelson
Affiliations

Diverse roles of neurotensin agonists in the central nervous system

Mona Boules et al. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). .

Abstract

Neurotensin (NT) is a tridecapeptide that is found in the central nervous system (CNS) and the gastrointestinal tract. NT behaves as a neurotransmitter in the brain and as a hormone in the gut. Additionally, NT acts as a neuromodulator to several neurotransmitter systems including dopaminergic, sertonergic, GABAergic, glutamatergic, and cholinergic systems. Due to its association with such a wide variety of neurotransmitters, NT has been implicated in the pathophysiology of several CNS disorders such as schizophrenia, drug abuse, Parkinson's disease (PD), pain, central control of blood pressure, eating disorders, as well as, cancer and inflammation. The present review will focus on the role that NT and its analogs play in schizophrenia, endocrine function, pain, psychostimulant abuse, and PD.

Keywords: central nervous system; endocrinology; neurotensin; pain; psychostimulant abuse; schizophrenia.

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