Role of Neuropeptides in Brain Asymmetry

A brief review is presented of the literature data on peculiarities of functional asymmetry of brain in animals of different phylogenetic level and asymmetry of the nervous, immune, and endocrine systems. There exposed results of chronic experiments on monkeys to study role of opioid neuropeptide, Met-encephalin (ME), and of hypothalamic neurohormones, vasopressin (VP) and thyroliberin (TL), in functional asymmetry of the monkey brain. The experiments are carried out on model of feeding behavior (complex forms of reactions of choice of side of the reinforcement). It is established that TL, VP, and ME participate in regulation of functions of different brain hemispheres. It is shown that effects of the drugs depend on their dose, initial functional state, and dominance of the particular extremity. It is revealed that administration of ME and neurohormones produces different effects on dominance of the left and right hemispheres. The issue of possible application of neuropeptides in clinics to compensate human motor disturbances after brain ischemia is discussed.