Systematic Review of Neuropeptide Y Receptor Subtypes in Depression and Memory Regulation

Ari Susilowati (Universitas Gadjah Mada)
Slamet Widiyanto (Universitas Gadjah Mada)
Dwi Liliek Kusindarta (Universitas Gadjah Mada)
Nastiti Wijayanti (Universitas Gadjah Mada)

Proceeding of International Conference on Biology Education, Natural Science, and Technology
2026: Proceeding of International Conference on Biology Education, Natural Science, and Technology

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is one of the most abundant neuropeptides in the central nervous system and has been implicated in mood regulation, stress resilience, and cognition; however, its specific roles in depression and memory remain unknown. A systematic search was conducted in ProQuest, ScienceDirect and Scopus, following PRISMA 2020 guidelines. From 4,777 from first search, 10 eligible studies were identified. Results revealed that NPY was consistently decreased in both major depressive disorder and chronic stress, but that therapeutic interventions such as electroconvulsive therapy upregulated NPY expression. Plasma NPY levels were positively associated with resilience and negatively associated with vulnerability to post-traumatic stress disorder; blockade of Y2 receptors enhanced recall of hippocampus-mediated memories, and lack of Y5 receptors altered mood without impaired memory retrieval. In conclusion, this suggests that collectively NPY may serve as a novel biomarker and perhaps therapeutic target for depression, memory dysfunction and other stress‑related disorders.