Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 13, 2025

Author Spotlight: Hypothalamic Neural Mechanism Insights
Published on: August 4, 2023
From Molecule to Behavior: Hypocretin/orexin Revisited From a Sex-dependent Perspective
Xiao-Bing Gao1, Tamas L Horvath1
1Department of Comparative Medicine, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA.
Abstract:
The hypocretin/orexin (Hcrt/Orx) system in the perifornical lateral hypothalamus has been recognized as a critical node in a complex network of neuronal systems controlling both physiology and behavior in vertebrates. Our understanding of the Hcrt/Orx system and its array of functions and actions has grown exponentially in merely 2 decades. This review will examine the latest progress in discerning the roles played by the Hcrt/Orx system in regulating homeostatic functions and in executing instinctive and learned behaviors. Furthermore, the gaps that currently exist in our knowledge of sex-related differences in this field of study are discussed.
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