Dictionary of Biological Psychology
Somatostatin is one of the NEUROPEPTIDES, with multiple RECEPTOR subtypes (classified as sst1—sst5) all G PROTEIN coupled. It was first found in the HYPOTHALAMUS where it is able to inhibit the release of GROWTH HORMONE (and was initially called GROWTH HORMONE RELEASE INHIBITING HORMONE).
Subsequent research identified somatostatin in many parts of the body, including the PANCREAS and GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT. It is also found widely distributed in CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM, most notably within the CEREBRAL CORTEX where it is found within INTERNEURONS. Somatostatin has attracted interest because it is markedly diminished in the brains of patients with PARKINSON’S DISEASE. There is an apparent association between the extent to which somatostatin is lost in these patients and the incidence of DEMENTIA—the greater the loss, the greater the degree of dementia.
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