Neuropeptide Y (NPY) as a modulator of neuroplasticity and emotional behavior in animal models

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is considered an important neuromodulator in the regulation of emotional behavior. NPY consistently modulates anxiety-related behaviors and there is increasing support for a role for this peptide in mood disorders such as depression. There is also evidence that NPY promotes neuroplasticity in the central nervous system. Recent studies suggest that chronic depression is associated with neuronal loss and abnormalities in neuroplasticity (such as neurogenesis) in the hippocampus. Consequently, the aim of this study was to elucidate the role of the NPY Y1 and Y2 receptor subtypes in anxiety- and depression-like behaviors using NPY knockout and transgenic animals and to investigate the role of NPY as a neuroproliferative factor in hippocampal neurogenesis. The ability of NPY to induce changes in neurogenesis was assessed in NPY Y2 knockout mice and in Sprague-Dawley rats after chronic treatment with NPY