release of CRH through a negative feedback loop to the hypothalamus, but increase the production of CRH outside the hypothalamus, e.g. in the central amygdala (Pastor et al., 2008). Dysregulation of the HPA axis is a known problem in alcoholism and other addictions (Armario, 2010; Koob & Kreek, 2007; Sorocco et al., 2006) as well as in at-risk individuals (Sorocco et al., 2006). The increased levels of CRH may lead to increased alcohol consumption as the brain tries to adapt to its increasingly dysregulated state (Koob & Le Moal, 2005). Increased CRH levels also lead to increased sensitivity of stress-induced alcohol consumption (Ciccocioppo et al., 2009; Clarke et al., 2009). Glucocorticoids mediate the development of sensitization to drugs such as ethanol (Roberts et al., 1995) in a feed-forward fashion.
