Why things get important: GPCRs in salience processing

Perception and processing of salient sensory input is vital for every animal. While sensory systems continuously receive a vast amount of information, animal brains are challenged to distinguish between relevant, i.e. salient, and neutral or unnecessary content. Stimulus salience can depend on intensity but also motivational and attentional states. Perception of salient information affects both immediate response behaviors and memory formation, which are both critical for survival. Conversely, aberrant salience processing may contribute to disorders such as schizophrenia or drug addiction. Research in recent decades has described several G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) systems as important regulators of salience processing in the brain. They include receptors activated by monoamines, neuropeptides and lipid molecules. Although salience attribution is a critical brain function, a comprehensive survey of involved GPCRs and their endogenous transmitters has, to our knowledge, not been compiled. This review aims to close this gap by providing an overview of GPCRs involved in salience processing.