title: Effects of generalized convulsive seizures on corticotropin-releasing factor neuronal systems.
abstract: Most stressors generate a set of endocrine and neural adaptations that form a stress response. The corticotropin-releasing factor neurons of the paraventricular nucleus of hypothalamus integrate endocrine and neural inputs, and cause a cascade of events with resultant increased levels of pituitary adrenocorticotropic hormone and adrenal hormones. Although activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis is associated with a large variety of stressors, the effects of seizures on hypothalamic corticotropin-releasing factor neurons are essentially unknown. The goal of the present study was to elucidate the effects of generalized convulsive seizures on distinct and separate corticotropin-releasing factor cell populations in brain. Seizure-activated neurons were identified immunocytochemically through their expression of the Fos protein. Seizures were induced by intraperitoneal injection of kainic acid. In the paraventricular nucleus, the vast majority of corticotropin-releasing factor-like parvocellular neurons also expressed Fos-like protein following seizure elicitation. This response was specific to corticotropin-releasing factor neurons of the paraventricular nucleus, as corticotropin-releasing factor neurons in central nucleus of the amygdala or bed nucleus of the stria terminalis did not simultaneously localize Fos following seizures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, University of Rochester School of Medicine, NY 14642, USA.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Piekut
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Phipps
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pretel
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Applegate
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000378:metabolism*; D015870:Gene Expression; D016762:Genes, fos; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007608:Kainic Acid; D008297:Male; D008564:Membrane Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism*; D010286:Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012640:Seizures / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone; D007608:Kainic Acid