The role of neuropeptides (oxytocin, vasopressin, neuropeptide S) in the development of cognitive impairment in Alzheimer’s disease

Abstract

Every year, the number of people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease is rapidly increasing. Despite numerous studies, it was not possible to select a therapy that would reliably slow down the course of the disease and result in its complete cure. In this case, any consideration of the issue related to the search for drugs to eliminate cognitive and psychoemotional disorders in Alzheimer’s disease is a pressing problem that deserves special attention.We collected articles from the PubMed database published over the past 10 years. The aim of this review was to analyze the latest experimental data and results regarding the relationship between Alzheimer’s disease and the activity of neuropeptides, such as oxytocin, vasopressin, and neuropeptide S, and describing the effects that occur upon their administration. This will allow for a more complete understanding of the problem and update information on this issue. The ability of neuropeptides to restore impaired cognitive functions in an animal model of Alzheimer’s disease is examined in more detail.Detailed information on the relationship and positive effect of the studied neuropeptides on Alzheimer’s disease allows to consider these neuropeptides as potential drugs for the treatment of this disease.