The long and the short of it - a perspective on peptidergic regulation of circuits and behaviour.

Neuropeptides are the most diverse class of chemical modulators in nervous systems. They contribute to extensive modulation of circuit activity and have profound influences on animal physiology. Studies on invertebrate model organisms, including the fruit fly and the nematode , have enabled the genetic manipulation of peptidergic signalling, contributing to an understanding of how neuropeptides pattern the output of neural circuits to underpin behavioural adaptation.

Drosophila Psidin regulates olfactory neuron number and axon targeting through two distinct molecular mechanisms.

The formation of neuronal circuits is a key process of development, laying foundations for behavior. The cellular mechanisms regulating circuit development are not fully understood. Here, we reveal Psidin as an intracellular regulator of Drosophila olfactory system formation.

A new Prospero and microRNA-279 pathway restricts CO2 receptor neuron formation.

CO(2) sensation represents an interesting example of nervous system and behavioral evolutionary divergence. The underlying molecular mechanisms, however, are not understood. Loss of microRNA-279 in Drosophila melanogaster leads to the formation of a CO(2) sensory system partly similar to the one of mosquitoes.

[Variety of symptoms after drug use of gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB)].

Gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB, "liquid ecstasy") and its legal prodrugs gamma-butyrolactone and 1,4-butanediol are gaining importance as recreational drugs in Germany. Because of the wide availability of GHB and its prodrugs physicians are increasingly being confronted with cases of intoxication. The effect of GHB intoxication is comparable with those of alcohol and/or benzodiazepines.