Topic: corticotropin-releasing factor

The locus coeruleus (LC) is a small brainstem nucleus that provides the forebrain with the primary source of noradrenaline (NA), a neuromodulator important for a range of core behavioral and physiological functions (Aston-Jones & Cohen, 2005; Martins & Froemke, 2015; Poe et al., 2020). While early theories described the LC as a homogeneous structure whose neurons release NA uniformly to broadly coordinate brain states, recent studies have begun to reveal that complex behavioral contexts can lead to engagement of specific subpopulations of LC neurons depending on their inputs, outputs,

Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and the urocortins (UCN1, UCN2 and UCN3) are structurally related neuropeptides which act via two CRF receptors (CRF1 and CRF2) with putatively dualistic actions in the brain. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of CRF agonists, such as CRF, UCN1, UCN2, and UCN3, and CRF antagonists, such as antalarmin (a selective CRF1 antagonist) and astressin2B (a selective CRF2 antagonist) on the release of noradrenaline (NA) in the locus coeruleus (LC) and serotonin (5HT3) in the raphe nuclei (RN). For this purpose, male Wistar rats were used, t