title: The behavioural and electrophysiological effects of CRF in rat frontal cortex.
abstract: Corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) is a neuropeptide widely distributed in the brain. The role of CRF in the behavioural activity and modulation of anxiety states in several brain structures has been well documented, but its function in the cerebral cortex still remains unknown. The aim of our study was to investigate the effect of CRF injected bilaterally into rat frontal cortex on the locomotor and exploratory activity and anxiety of rats. We also examined the effect of CRF on extracellularly recorded field potentials in rat frontal cortical slices in vitro. Behavioural experiments showed that CRF in doses of 0.05, 0.1, 0.2 microg/1 microl/site decreased locomotor and exploratory activity during a 40-min session in the open field test. In the elevated plus-maze test, CRF in a dose of 0.2 microg/1 microl/site produced a significant anxiolytic-like effect, which was prevented by CRF receptor antagonists (alpha-helicalCRF(9-41) and NBI 27914). Electrophysiological experiments showed that CRF-induced a transient depression of field potentials in slices partly disinhibited by GABA(A) and GABA(B) receptors antagonists. The blockade of NMDA receptors prevented the occurrence of that effect. The obtained results suggest that CRF may have anxiolytic-like effects in the frontal cortex. Moreover, the peptide inhibits locomotor and exploratory activity and depresses excitatory synaptic transmission in a NMDA receptor-dependent manner.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurobiology, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Smetna Street 12, 31-343 Cracow, Poland. zieba.bmt@wp.pl
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zieba
authors.forename: Małgorzata
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Grzegorzewska
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Brański
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Domin
authors.forename: Joanna M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Wierońska
authors.forename: Grzegorz
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hess
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Smiałowska
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004594:Electrophysiology; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D018019:Receptors, Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000819:agonists / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D018019:Receptors, Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone