Afferent Control of the Hypocretin/Orexin Neurons

Abstract

Since the discovery of the hypocretins (Hcrt) or orexins and the subsequent link to narcolepsy in animals and humans a decade ago, it has become apparent that the Hcrt system plays a central role in a number of physiological and behavioral functions. The well-established clinical symptomatology of narcolepsy including excessive daytime sleepiness and cataplexy gave rise to the hypothesis that the Hcrt system was important for the maintenance of wakefulness. Although subsequent research has suggested that Hcrt activity may be related to wakefulness associated with motivated behaviors rather than wakefulness per se, other studies have demonstrated that the Hcrt system also has a role in other functions such as energy metabolism, reward, and addiction. Given the importance of the Hcrt system in such functions, understanding the control of the Hcrt neurons is of considerable interest. The following sections provide some examples that illustrate how mouse strains have been used to advance our understanding of the Hcrt system. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)