Chunk #104 — 3 Neuropeptide Roles in Acute and Chronic Alcohol Actions — 3.1 Corticotropin-Releasing Factor — 3.1.2 Corticotropin-Releasing Factor Actions in the Central Amygdala
Chronic EtOH exposure produces functional adaptation of the CRF system in CeA (Hansson et al. 2006, 2007; Sommer et al. 2008; Weiss et al. 2001). In the study by Roberto et al. electrophysiological experiments were performed 2–8 h after preparation of CeA slices from EtOH-dependent or naïve control rats. Interestingly, in CeA of dependent rats, the ability of maximal (200 nM) and a submaximal (100 nM) concentrations of CRF to augment evoked IPSCs was significantly enhanced compared to naïve CeA. A greater effect of CRF1R antagonists on basal IPSCs of dependent rats was also reported. The greater effect of CRF and CRF1R antagonists may reflect increased tonic release of endogenous CRF, constitutive CRF1R activation, increased receptor number, and/or sensitization of CRF1R in CeA of dependent rats. These combined findings suggest an important EtOH–CRF interaction on GABAergic transmission in the CeA that markedly increases during development of EtOH dependence (Roberto et al. 2010).
