Neuropeptide receptor ligands as drugs for psychiatric diseases: the end of the beginning?

A wealth of preclinical data on the role of neuropeptides in modulating behaviour has encouraged extensive efforts to target neuropeptide receptors for the treatment of psychiatric diseases, but so far clinical studies have not led to marketed drugs. This article analyses research on neuropeptide receptor ligands that have been studied in clinical trials, including agents that target the receptors for tachykinins, corticotropin-releasing factor and vasopressin, and suggests new ways to realize their full potential.