Functional Neuroanatomy of Relaxin-3/RXFP3 Systems in the Brain: Implications for Integrated Neuroendocrine and Behavioural Control

Abstract

Neuropeptides play key neuromodulatory roles in the mammalian central nervous system. Relaxin-3, a neuropeptide discovered by homology searching of the human genome 20 years ago, and its cognate G-protein-coupled receptor, relaxin-family peptide receptor 3 (RXFP3), discovered in studies of brain-enriched ‘orphan’ receptors, have since been shown to modulate neuronal activity in multiple brain circuits. The early anatomical association of this neuropeptide/receptor signalling system with the enigmatic nucleus incertus (NI) located in the pontine tegmentum of a range of mammalian brains prompted a large number of anatomical, regulatory and pharmacological studies. In this chapter, we summarize..