A role for corticotropin-releasing factor in repeated cold stress-induced anxiety-like behavior during forced swimming and elevated plus-maze tests in mice.
SART (specific alternation of rhythm in temperature) stress is known to cause anxiety-like behavior in mice/rats in several anxiety-related behavioral tests. In the present study, we investigated possible roles for corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and glucocorticoids in SART stress-induced anxiety-like behavior in two different anxiety-related behavioral tests. In the forced swimming test, CRF, administered intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) at 0.5-2 pmol/mouse, dose-dependently reduced immobility time in unstressed and SART-stressed mice. alpha-Helical CRF, a specific CRF receptor antagonist, administered i.c.v. at 0.1-1 nmol/mouse, dose-dependently increased immobility time in SART-stressed mice, but not in unstressed mice. In the elevated plus-maze test, CRF at 10-20 pmol/mouse significantly decreased the time spent in open arms in unstressed mice. CRF at a high dose tended to decrease this time in SART-stressed mice, but this decrease was not statistically significant. alpha-Helical CRF failed to modify the time in unstressed mice. In contrast, alpha-helical CRF at 0.38 and 0.75 nmol/mouse increased the time in SART-stressed mice. Both immobility time in the forced swimming test and time spent in open arms in the elevated plus-maze test in unstressed and SART-stressed mice were unaffected by adrenalectomy. These results suggest that CRF plays an important role in anxiety-like behavior caused by SART stress.
Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kinki University, Kowakae, Higashi-Osaka, Japan.
Hiroyuki
H
Nishikawa
Taeko
T
Hata
Eiji
E
Itoh
Yoshinori
Y
Funakami
D000315:Adrenalectomy; D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects; D003080:Cold Temperature; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D013550:Swimming
C069206:alpha helical corticotropin-releasing hormone; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone