Use of antagonists of ghrelin or ghrelin receptor to prevent or treat stress-sensitive psychiatric illness
AssigneeMassachusetts Institute of Technology
InventorsKi Ann Goosens, Retsina Michele Meyer
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The invention relates to methods of protecting against chronic stress in a subject and treating stress sensitive disorders in a subject by antagonizing ghrelin or ghrelin receptor.
Claims22
A method of protecting against chronic stress in a subject in need thereof, comprising
- administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of an agent that inhibits the level or activity of ghrelin or ghrelin receptor.
A method of treating a stress-sensitive disorder in a subject exposed to chronic stress comprising administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of an agent that inhibits the level or activity of ghrelin or ghrelin receptor.
20-23. (canceled)
A method for determining whether a subject exposed to chronic stress has an increased risk of developing a stress-sensitive disorder, comprising conducting an assay to measure the ghrelin levels in the subject after the subject has been exposed to chronic stress, wherein elevation of ghrelin levels in the subject after the subject has been exposed to chronic stress relative to normal ghrelin levels indicates that the subject has an increased risk of developing a stress-sensitive disorder.
25-38. (canceled)
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.