Mahler Stephen V, Moorman David E, Smith Rachel J, James Morgan H, Aston-Jones Gary
Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA.
1] Department of Neuroscience, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA. [2] Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA.
Nat Neurosci. 2014 Oct;17(10):1298-303. doi: 10.1038/nn.3810. Epub 2014 Sep 25.
Orexins (hypocretins) are two peptides (orexin A and B) produced from the pre-pro-orexin precursor and expressed in a limited region of dorsolateral hypothalamus. Orexins were originally thought to specifically mediate feeding and promote wakefulness, but it is now clear that they participate in a wide range of behavioral and physiological processes under select circumstances. Orexins primarily mediate behavior under situations of high motivational relevance, such as during physiological need states, exposure to threats or reward opportunities. We hypothesize that many behavioral functions of orexins (including regulation of sleep/wake cycling) reflect a fundamentally integrated function for orexins in translating motivational activation into organized suites of psychological and physiological processes supporting adaptive behaviors. We also discuss how numerous forms of neural heterogeneity modulate this function, allowing orexin neurons to organize diverse, adaptive responses in a variety of motivationally relevant situations. Thus, the involvement of orexins in diverse behaviors may reflect a common underlying function for this peptide system.
食欲素（下丘脑泌素）是由前食欲素原前体产生的两种肽（食欲素A和B），在下丘脑背外侧的有限区域表达。食欲素最初被认为专门介导进食并促进觉醒，但现在很清楚的是，它们在特定情况下参与广泛的行为和生理过程。食欲素主要在具有高度动机相关性的情况下介导行为，例如在生理需求状态、暴露于威胁或奖励机会期间。我们假设，食欲素的许多行为功能（包括睡眠/觉醒周期的调节）反映了食欲素在将动机激活转化为支持适应性行为的有组织的心理和生理过程组方面的一种基本整合功能。我们还讨论了多种形式的神经异质性如何调节这种功能，使食欲素神经元能够在各种动机相关情况下组织不同的适应性反应。因此，食欲素参与多种行为可能反映了该肽系统的一种共同潜在功能。
