title: Role of hypothalamic corticotropin-releasing factor in mediating alcohol-induced activation of the rat hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.
abstract: Alcohol stimulates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis through brain-based mechanisms in which endogenous corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) plays a major role. This review first discusses the evidence for this role, as well as the possible importance of intermediates such as vasopressin, nitric oxide and catecholamines. We then illustrate the long-term influence exerted by alcohol on the HPA axis, such as the ability of a first exposure to this drug during adolescence, to permanently blunt neuroendocrine responses to subsequent exposure of the drug. In view of the role played by CRF in addiction, it is likely that a better understanding of the mechanisms through which this drug stimulates the HPA axis may lead to the development of new therapies used in the treatment of alcohol abuse, including clinically relevant CRF antagonists.
authors.affiliation: The Salk Institute, The Clayton Foundation Laboratories for Peptide Biology, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA. Electronic address: crivier@salk.edu.
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rivier
mesh_terms: D000437:Alcoholism / Q000188:drug therapy; D000438:Alcohols / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D010906:Pituitary Hormone-Releasing Hormones / Q000378:metabolism*; D010913:Pituitary-Adrenal System / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000438:Alcohols; D010906:Pituitary Hormone-Releasing Hormones; D003346:Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone
keywords: ACTH; Alcohol; Alcoholism; Corticotropin-releasing factor; Hypothalamus; Pituitary; Rats