  Neuropeptides, members of a large and evolutionarily ancient family of
proteinaceous cell-cell signaling molecules, are widely recognized as extremely
potent regulators of brain function and behavior. At the cellular level,
neuropeptides are known to act mainly via modulation of ion channel and synapse
function, but functional impacts emerging at the level of complex cortical
synaptic networks have resisted mechanistic analysis. New findings from
single-cell RNA-seq transcriptomics now illuminate intricate patterns of
cortical neuropeptide signaling gene expression and new tools now offer
powerful molecular access to cortical neuropeptide signaling. Here we highlight
some of these new findings and tools, focusing especially on prospects for
experimental and theoretical exploration of peptidergic and synaptic networks
interactions underlying cortical function and plasticity.
