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Updated: Sep 3, 2025

Author Spotlight: Hypothalamic Neural Mechanism Insights
Published on: August 4, 2023
Physiological Role of Orexinergic System for Health
Ines Villano1, Marco La Marra1, Girolamo Di Maio1
1Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 80138 Naples, Italy.
Abstract:
Orexins, or hypocretins, are excitatory neuropeptides involved in the regulation of feeding behavior and the sleep and wakefulness states. Since their discovery, several lines of evidence have highlighted that orexin neurons regulate a great range of physiological functions, giving it the definition of a multitasking system. In the present review, we firstly describe the mechanisms underlining the orexin system and their interactions with the central nervous system (CNS). Then, the system's involvement in goal-directed behaviors, sleep/wakefulness state regulation, feeding behavior and energy homeostasis, reward system, and aging and neurodegenerative diseases are described. Advanced evidence suggests that the orexin system is crucial for regulating many physiological functions and could represent a promising target for therapeutical approaches to obesity, drug addiction, and emotional stress.
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