Intranasal Administration of Neuropeptide Y in Healthy Male Volunteers

Summary

There is growing evidence that neuropeptides act as neuronal messengers in the brain and have diverse functions that may include the regulation of mood and behavior. For example, neuropeptide Y (NPY) is thought to play a role in the adaptive stress response. The therapeutic application of neuropeptides for psychiatric disorders has been limited by difficult and unreliable penetration of the blood-brain barrier (BBB). However, recent data suggest that intranasal administration may provide a means of effectively delivering some of these neuropeptides to the brain. Thus far it is unclear if this is the case for NPY. The aims of this project are: 1. To evaluate, in 15 healthy male volunteers aged 25-45, the effect of intranasal NPY administration (0, 50 and 100 nmol) on its levels in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), measured by means of lumbar puncture using an intraspinal catheter between L4 and L5, and in plasma, measured using an intravenous catheter in the forearm. One of the three treatments will be administered to each participant in a double-blind fashion. The 0 nmol condition will serve as the placebo control. 2. To test the effect of intranasal NPY administration on mood and anxiety.

Timeline

Start

2010-01

Primary completion

2010-12

Completion

2012-01

Publications

• Background Morgan CA 3rd, Rasmusson AM, Winters B, Hauger RL, Morgan J, Hazlett G, Southwick S. Trauma exposure rather than posttraumatic stress disorder is associated with reduced baseline plasma neuropeptide-Y levels. Biol Psychiatry. 2003 Nov 15;54(10):1087-91. doi: 10.1016/s0006-3223(03)00433-5.
• Background Morgan CA 3rd, Wang S, Southwick SM, Rasmusson A, Hazlett G, Hauger RL, Charney DS. Plasma neuropeptide-Y concentrations in humans exposed to military survival training. Biol Psychiatry. 2000 May 15;47(10):902-9. doi: 10.1016/s0006-3223(99)00239-5.
• Background Rasmusson AM, Hauger RL, Morgan CA, Bremner JD, Charney DS, Southwick SM. Low baseline and yohimbine-stimulated plasma neuropeptide Y (NPY) levels in combat-related PTSD. Biol Psychiatry. 2000 Mar 15;47(6):526-39. doi: 10.1016/s0006-3223(99)00185-7.
• Background Rasmusson AM, Southwick SM, Hauger RL, Charney DS. Plasma neuropeptide Y (NPY) increases in humans in response to the alpha 2 antagonist yohimbine. Neuropsychopharmacology. 1998 Jul;19(1):95-8. doi: 10.1016/S0893-133X(97)00199-1.
• Background Thorsell A, Carlsson K, Ekman R, Heilig M. Behavioral and endocrine adaptation, and up-regulation of NPY expression in rat amygdala following repeated restraint stress. Neuroreport. 1999 Sep 29;10(14):3003-7. doi: 10.1097/00001756-199909290-00024.
• Background Flood JF, Baker ML, Hernandez EN, Morley JE. Modulation of memory processing by neuropeptide Y varies with brain injection site. Brain Res. 1989 Nov 27;503(1):73-82. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(89)91706-x.
• Background Heilig M. The NPY system in stress, anxiety and depression. Neuropeptides. 2004 Aug;38(4):213-24. doi: 10.1016/j.npep.2004.05.002.
• Background Eaton K, Sallee FR, Sah R. Relevance of neuropeptide Y (NPY) in psychiatry. Curr Top Med Chem. 2007;7(17):1645-59. doi: 10.2174/156802607782341037.
• Background Nikisch G, Agren H, Eap CB, Czernik A, Baumann P, Mathe AA. Neuropeptide Y and corticotropin-releasing hormone in CSF mark response to antidepressive treatment with citalopram. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol. 2005 Sep;8(3):403-10. doi: 10.1017/S1461145705005158. Epub 2005 Mar 23.

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