Galanin: Involvement in Behavior and Neuropathology, and Therapeutic Potential

Since its discovery in 1983, the neuropeptide galanin has been found to be involved in a wide range of functions, including pain sensation, sexual activity, feeding, and learning and memory. Furthermore, galanin has recently been proposed to have a key role in depression, owing to its inhibition of noradrenergic cells, and in epilepsy. Three galanin receptor subtypes have been cloned and studied, though little is known about their specific contributions to behavioral processes. This article reviews galanin's role in behavior, with special attention to learning and memory. It concludes by discussing the status of the pharmacology of galanin, including nonpeptide ligands that have recently been developed with potential for therapeutic use, and the need for better receptor subtype-specific ligands. Despite the existence of many unknowns, the accumulation of basic research and the emergence of new research tools suggests we are entering an exciting period in the development of galanin pharmacology that may lead to new drugs for the treatment of cognitive decline and other neuro- and psychopathologies. (c) 2002 Prous Science. All rights reserved.