Cholecystokinins in the central nervous system and neurohypophysis

Research on digestive peptides in brain started in 1975 with the discovery of peptides of the gastrin-cholecystokinin family in the brain of various vertebrates. Cholecystokinin octapeptide is largely distributed in the brain and neurohypophysis and its mapping has recently been reported by various authors. An up to data table summarizing CCK mapping is included. Cholecystokinin coexists with dopamine in some mesencephalic neurones and with oxytocin in some hypothalamic neurones. CCK immunoreactive fibers have been detected in the anterior commissura and in the corpus callosum especially after its surgical sectioning. CCK immunoreactive cell bodies are present in the nucleus septum lateralis, the nucleus of the bed of the stria terminalis and the nucleus preopticus medialis especially after direct colchicine injection into the cerebral hemispheres. Cholecystokinin is of importance in structures related to various physiological functions such as motricity, sensory mechanisms, endocrine and limbic systems. Consequently it should be interesting to study cholecystokinins in neurological disorders and in psychiatric conditions.