. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2019 May 1.

Published in final edited form as: J Am Soc Mass Spectrom. 2018 Apr 17;29(5):807–816. doi: 10.1007/s13361-018-1914-1

Table 1.

Neuropeptide Functions in the Nervous and Endocrine Systems

Neuropeptides	Functions in Physiological Regulation
Brain Neuropeptides
Enkephalin	Analgesia, pain relief
β-Endorphin	Analgesia, pain relief
Dynorphin	Chronic pain
Substance P	Pain neurotransmission
Galanin	Cognition
Cholecystokinin (CCK)	Appetite, learning, memory
Neuropeptide Y (NPY)	Feeding behavior
Calcitonin	Calcium regulation, migraine
Endocrine Neuropeptides
Growth hormone releasing hormone (GHRH)	Growth and development
Thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH)	Growth and development
ACTH (adrenocorticotropin hormone)	Steroid release and production
CRF (corticotropin releasing hormone)	Steroid production and stress
Insulin	Glucose metabolism
Glucagon	Glucose production and metabolism
Vasopressin	Water balance

Neuropeptides function as brain neurotransmitters and as endocrine peptide hormones. Diverse regulatory functions of neuropeptides are illustrated by examples in this table.