Presynaptically mediated effects of cholecystokinin-8 on the excitability of area postrema neurons in rat brain slices.

Cholecystokinin (CCK) is a well-known gut hormone that shows anorexigenic effects via action at peripheral and central receptors. CCK is also widely distributed throughout the mammalian brain and appears to function as a neurotransmitter and neuromodulator. The area postrema is one of the circumventricular organs, located on the dorsal surface of the medulla oblongata at the caudal end of the fourth ventricle.