Neuropeptide Y (Tatemoto et al 1982), a 36 amino acid peptide expressed at high levels within the mammalian nervous system, is an endogenous, anxiolytic neuropeptide that has been extensively examined in behavioral stress and anxiety paradigms. The effects of NPY are mediated by G-protein coupled receptors, 4 subtypes of which have been identified to date: Y1, Y2, Y4, and Y5 (review in Berglund et al., 2003). The Y1 and Y2 receptor subtypes are found at significant levels with the central nervous system (CNS). Anti-anxiety effects of NPY have been shown to rely in part on activation of Y1 receptors in the amygdala (Heilig, 1995) and Y2 receptors may also play a role in the regulation of emotionality. NPY-Y2 receptors are located pre-synaptically on NPY-ergic neurons, and control the release of endogenous NPY (Wahlestedt et al., 1986). Here, we summarize our work looking at NPY in relation to stress, anxiety, and alcoholism.
