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Glite Dictionary
neuropeptide

neuropeptide

5 7.7
A small protein-like chemical in the nervous system that sends messages between nerve cells
  • noun
  • /ˌnjʊəroʊˈpɛptaɪd/
  • Specialized
translation icon : neuropeptido
  • Carrying the messages back and forth are small go-between molecules known as neurotransmitters, hormones, or neuropeptides.
  • neuropeptide substance

Breath work is a powerful lubricant for those neuropeptides, heart, brain coherence.

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Examples

  • The wonder of human memory will never be expressed by how much glucose is burned in the amygdala or how many neuropeptides have congregated in the hippocampus.

    Academic text (1990)

  • Stationary receptor sites for neuropeptides are widely scattered throughout the body and brain, making the body-brain one vast interactional communication system.

    Academic text (1990)

  • Where it gets really interesting is that men and women store the neuropeptides differently.

  • Thus, it is suggested that vasodilation produced by TENS can be related to the local release of neuropeptides.

    Academic text (2012)

  • Vasopressin (VP) is a neuropeptide that has many effects in the body.

    Academic text (1990)

  • Neuropeptides mediate memory storage and retrieval in the brain.

    Unforgettable (1996)

  • Now that their locations have been mapped by radioactive molecules, it is apparent that neuropeptides connect the nervous system, endocrine system, and the immune system.

    Academic text (1990)

  • Pert discovered so many receptor sites for neuropeptides in the brainstem that she says it is, in reality, part of the limbic system, which appears to play a key role in memory.

    Academic text (1990)

  • Candace Pert and colleagues (1985) discovered that some sixty neuropeptides (information molecules manufactured by nerve cells), each journeying to specific receptor sites, are the major means of information exchange within the brain and body.

    Academic text (1990)

  • Neuropeptides play a crucial role in sending messages between neuropeptides in the brain.

Synonyms

neurotransmitter
vsneuropeptide
  • Specialized
9 5.5

A chemical that carries signals between nerve cells

is a specific protein-like messenger rather than any chemical substance

Surface Forms

neuropeptide singular
neuropeptides plural

Morphology

neuropeptide = peptide (semi-transparent) = neuro + peptide

The term is built transparently from the prefix neuro- and the base peptide, but the specialized biological sense is domain-specific rather than fully obvious to all learners.

Etymology

Neuropeptide combines neuro- ('nerve'), the same start as neuron, and peptide ('small protein'). So a neuropeptide is a tiny protein in the nervous system that sends messages between nerve cells, which is why it acts as a chemical messenger.