Galanin identified as new therapeutic target for the treatment of depression

Written by Alice Bough (Future Science Group)

A research group from the University of Málaga (Spain) have determined that a fragment of the neuropeptide galanin promotes anhedonia. The results of their paper, published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, suggest that the galanin fragment could be a therapeutic target for the treatment of depression. The group have been analyzing the role of galanin in neuropsychiatric diseases since 2007 and have now demonstrated that the N-terminal (1-15) fragment of the protein plays a role in the brain’s reward system. Administration of galanin N-terminal fragment (1-15) to rats induced anhedonia-like phenotypes in behavioral tests involving feeding and sexual attraction. “We...

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