Orexin System
Orexin System - Related Videos
02:31
Detection of Orexin and Cannabinoid Receptor Co-localization in Diet-Induced Obese Zebrafish
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2025
This video demonstrates a protocol for investigating the co-localization of orexin and cannabinoid receptors in normal and diet-induced obesity (DIO) adult zebrafish brain tissue using immunofluorescence.
08:37
Identification of Orexin and Endocannabinoid Receptors in Adult Zebrafish Using Immunoperoxidase and Immunofluorescence Methods
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Cited by 8 •
2019
Presented here are protocols for immunohistochemical characterization and localization of orexin peptide, orexin receptors, and endocannabinoid receptors in the gut and brains of normal and diet-induced obesity (DIO) adult zebrafish models using immunoperixidase and double immunofluorescence methods.
07:08
A High Throughput, Multiplexed and Targeted Proteomic CSF Assay to Quantify Neurodegenerative Biomarkers and Apolipoprotein E Isoforms Status
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Cited by 3 •
2016
We describe a high-throughput, multiplex, and targeted proteomic cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) assay developed with potential for clinical translation. The test can quantitate potential markers and risk factors for neurodegeneration, such as the apolipoprotein E variants (E2, E3 and E4), and measure their allelic expression.
09:09
Large-Scale Production of Extracellular Vesicles from High-Density 3D Cell Cultures in Hollow Fiber Perfusion Bioreactors
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2026
Instructions are provided for setting up and using a 3D perfusion hollow fiber bioreactor for extracellular vesicle production from MSC and other cell types. This protocol describes a method for producing extracellular vesicles at high concentrations on a continuous basis while controlling cell density in hollow fiber bioreactors.
11:08
Packaging HIV- or FIV-based Lentivector Expression Constructs & Transduction of VSV-G Pseudotyped Viral Particles
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Cited by 15 •
2012
Lentiviral expression vectors are the most effective vehicles for stably expressing different effector molecules or reporter constructs in dividing and non-dividing mammalian cells and whole organisms. Here we provide a protocol on how to package lentivector expression constructs in pseudoviral particles and to transduce target cells using the pseudoviral particles.
FAQs
Orexin A and orexin B are released by hypothalamic neurons and act through OX1R and OX2R receptors located across the brain. This distributed signaling supports sustained arousal rather than a brief change in alertness, helping connect wakefulness with attention, motivation, and goal-directed behavior. The broad receptor distribution helps explain the system’s influence across several psychological functions.
Orexin signaling links physiological energy status with motivated behavior. Its activity can influence feeding and reward-related responses while also supporting the arousal needed to pursue goals. In psychology, this makes the system useful for examining how bodily energy needs interact with motivation and behavior, rather than treating appetite, reward, and alertness as completely separate processes.
The same hypothalamic signaling network that supports wakefulness also influences emotional, attentional, motivational, and stress-related responses. This creates a biological pathway through which changes in arousal can affect mental functioning and behavior. Studying these connections helps explain why sleep and wake states are relevant to emotional regulation, attention, and responses to challenging or rewarding situations.
Narcolepsy is strongly associated with disruption of the orexin system, showing that orexin signaling is important for maintaining stable wakefulness. This association gives researchers a way to connect a sleep disorder with specific mechanisms of arousal rather than viewing sleepiness only as a general behavioral symptom. It also makes narcolepsy an important context for studying sleep-wake regulation.
Orexin-receptor drugs are being used and studied to treat sleep disorders by modifying signaling through the receptors that respond to orexin peptides. Their effects also provide experimental clues about how arousal is regulated. In research, these compounds help clarify the neural basis of wakefulness and connect receptor-level changes with observable sleep and behavioral outcomes.
Researchers can use the orexin system as a framework for studying how arousal interacts with feeding, reward, attention, emotion, and stress-related behavior. Its relevance extends beyond sleep because the network coordinates processes that shape mental functioning and action. This perspective supports integrated psychological models in which wakefulness, energy balance, and motivation influence one another.