title: Corticotropin-releasing factor is altered in brains of animals with high preference for ethanol.
abstract: Ethanol administered to rats has been shown to stimulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. The present study describes alterations in brain CRF neuronal systems that accompanied the voluntary high consumption of ethanol by Wistar rats presented with a free choice between 6% ethanol and tap water. Hypothalamic CRF concentrations (outside median eminence) were significantly increased in animals with a high preference for ethanol whereas concentrations of CRF in neurointermediate pituitary and medulla-pons were significantly decreased. No changes of CRF levels were evident in median eminence, frontal cortex, midbrain, thalamus, or cerebellum. Brain CRF concentrations in two strains of mice with genetically determined differential alcohol preference were measured. In ethanol-naive mice, there were documented differences in CRF concentrations, with an increase in frontal cortex levels, and a decrease in medulla-pons levels in the ethanol-preferring strain (C57BL/6J) compared to the nonpreferring strain (C3H/CRGL/2). Thus, certain brain CRF neuronal systems are preferentially affected by high ethanol consumption, and pre-existing differences in these systems may even contribute to the development of a high preference for ethanol.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: George
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Roldan
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Naranjo
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000502:physiology*; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000235:genetics; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects*; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000187:drug effects; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000378:metabolism*; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000187:drug effects; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D008473:Median Eminence / Q000187:drug effects; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone