Neuropeptides, Neuromodulators and Their Analogs

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to submit original articles on the Special Issue entitled “Neuropeptides, Neuromodulators, and Their Analogs”.

This Special Issue aims to highlight recent findings in the field of neuropeptide and neuromodulator systems, with a particular focus on the mechanisms of action of new molecules that could be finely involved in feeding control and neuroprotection.

Particularly, hypothalamic neuropeptides and neuromodulators have long been involved as appetite regulators, through their ability to act as central transducers of peripheral afferents, including gut-derived peptides and adipokines, which could signal the nutritional status of the body through specific interactions with neuropeptides and neuromodulators including NPY, CART, POMC, AgRP, orexin A, CRH, BDNF, opioids, endocannabinoids, GABA, dopamine, norepinephrine, serotonin, and acetilcholine. Intriguingly, the same modulators could be expressed and released in multiple brain areas, thus exerting a wide plethora of effects, including neuroprotection and behavioral effects that could be altered in chronic conditions, including dismetabolic and neurodegenerative diseases. In this regard, the discovery of novel compounds acting with a multitarget mechanism on neuropeptide and neuromodulator pathways could be promising to modulate the complex and interrelated network controlling feeding, behavior, and cognitive functions.

In vivo and/or in vitro studies are welcome.

Dr. Claudio Ferrante
Prof. Dr. Giustino Orlando
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• Neuropepitdes
• Neurotransmitters
• Analogs
• Neuroprotection
• Feeding control