Chunk #110 — 3 Neuropeptide Roles in Acute and Chronic Alcohol Actions — 3.1 Corticotropin-Releasing Factor — 3.1.3 Corticotropin-Releasing Factor Actions in the Bed Nucleus of the Stria Terminalis
of alcohol dependence (Francesconi et al. 2009b). In addition, repeated, but not acute, administration of CRF itself produced a decreased jcBNST LTP-IE. These investigators also showed that dopaminergic neurotransmission is required for the induction of LTP-IE of jcBNST neurons through dopamine D1 receptors (Francesconi et al. 2009b). Thus, activation of the central CRF stress system and altered dopaminergic neurotransmission during protracted withdrawal from alcohol and drugs of abuse may contribute to the disruption of LTP-IE in the jcBNST. Impairment of this form of intrinsic neuronal plasticity in the jcBNST could result in inadequate neuronal integration and reduced inhibition of the CeA, contributing to the negative affective state that characterizes protracted abstinence in postdependent individuals (Francesconi et al. 2009a, b).
