Magistretti P J
Peptides. 1986;7 Suppl 1:169-73. doi: 10.1016/0196-9781(86)90181-6.
A growing number of biologically active peptides is being identified within the central nervous system (CNS). According to currently accepted criteria, several of these peptides, including VIP, can be viewed as neurotransmitters. Recent immunohistochemical and pharmacological investigations have been directed at the characterization of the position of VIP neurons in the circuitry of the cerebral cortex. From these studies some views on the possible function of VIP neurons in this CNS region are beginning to emerge. In the cerebral cortex, VIP neurons constitute a rather homogeneous population of intracortical, bipolar and radially oriented cells, which arborize locally, within cortical columns of 60-100 micron diameter. The cellular actions of VIP in the cerebral cortex include the stimulation of cAMP formation and of glycogen breakdown. A certain degree of cellular resolution of these two actions of VIP has been achieved by using purified preparations. Thus VIP stimulates cAMP formation in cerebral microvessels and in cultured astrocytes; in this latter cell type VIP also promotes glycogenolysis. Furthermore, VIP interacts synergistically with norepinephrine to stimulate cAMP formation and to inhibit the firing rate of spontaneously active identified cortical neurons. VIP neurons appear therefore to be strategically positioned to regulate the coupling between energy metabolism, blood flow and neuronal activity with great spatial selectivity and at a fine level of cortical resolution.
越来越多具有生物活性的肽在中枢神经系统（CNS）中被鉴定出来。根据目前公认的标准，其中几种肽，包括血管活性肠肽（VIP），可被视为神经递质。最近的免疫组织化学和药理学研究旨在表征VIP神经元在大脑皮质回路中的位置。从这些研究中，关于VIP神经元在这个中枢神经系统区域可能的功能的一些观点开始浮现。在大脑皮质中，VIP神经元构成了一群相当同质的皮质内、双极且呈放射状排列的细胞，它们在直径为60 - 100微米的皮质柱内进行局部分支。VIP在大脑皮质中的细胞作用包括刺激环磷酸腺苷（cAMP）的形成和糖原分解。通过使用纯化制剂，已经在一定程度上实现了对VIP这两种作用的细胞分辨。因此，VIP刺激脑微血管和培养的星形胶质细胞中cAMP的形成；在后者这种细胞类型中，VIP还促进糖原分解。此外，VIP与去甲肾上腺素协同作用，刺激cAMP的形成并抑制已鉴定的自发活动皮质神经元的放电频率。因此，VIP神经元似乎处于战略位置，能够以高度的空间选择性和精细的皮质分辨率水平调节能量代谢、血流和神经元活动之间的耦合。
