This gene encodes a neuropeptide that is structurally similar to somatostatin. It binds to all known somatostatin receptors, and shares many pharmacological and functional properties with somatostatin, including the depression of neuronal activity. However, it also has many properties distinct from somatostatin, such as induction of slow-wave sleep, apparently by antagonism of the excitatory effects of acetylcholine on the cortex, reduction of locomotor activity, and activation of cation selective currents not responsive to somatostatin. The preproprotein undergoes further processing into multiple mature products. Read-through transcripts exist between this gene and the upstream APITD1 (apoptosis-inducing, TAF9-like domain 1) gene, as represented in GeneID:100526739.