Elsevier

Hormones and Behavior

Volume 26, Issue 3, September 1992, Pages 375-384
Hormones and Behavior

Behavioral and cardiac responses after intracerebroventricular corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) administration: Role of adrenal cortical hormones

https://doi.org/10.1016/0018-506X(92)90007-IGet rights and content

Abstract

Intracerebroventricularly (icv) administered corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) produces a dose-dependent increase in heart rate in association with behavioral activation. The present study was designed to investigate whether these CRH-induced responses are dependent on adrenal function. The effects of adrenalectomy (ADX) and subsequent corticosterone replacement were studied. Administration icv of 300 ng of CRH failed to produce behavioral activation and tachycardia in ADX rats. Corticosterone replacement restored the CRH-induced behavioral response to preoperative levels, whereas the CRH-induced tachycardia was partially restored. This latter result may be related to the fact that the baseline heart rate of ADX animals appeared to be significantly higher than that of corticosterone-treated ADX animals. It is concluded that circulating adrenal corticosterone in ADX rats is involved in the expression of the behavioral and cardiac effect of central CRH.

References (34)

  • B. Bohus et al.

    Adrenal steroids and behavior adaptation: relationship to brain corticoid receptors

  • D.R. Britton

    Stress-related behavioral effect of corticotropin-releasing factor

  • J.C. Buckingham et al.

    Interrelationships of pituitary and plasma corticosterone during adrenocortical regeneration in rat

    J. Endocrinol.

    (1974)
  • H.M. Chao et al.

    Glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid receptor mRNA expression in rat brain

    Neuroendocrinology

    (1989)
  • M.F. Dallman et al.

    Diminishing corticotrope capacity to release ACTH during sustained stimulation: The twenty-four hours after bilateral adrenalectomy in the rat

    Endocrinology

    (1974)
  • E.R. De Kloet

    Brain corticosteroid receptor balance and homeostatic control

    Frontiers Neuroendocrinol.

    (1991)
  • E.B. De Souza

    Localization and modulation of brain and pituitary receptors involved in stress responses

    Psychopharmacol. Bull.

    (1988)
  • Cited by (20)

    • Changes in hormonal levels associated with enforced interval copulation and anxiety in sexually inexperienced and experienced male rats

      2017, Physiology and Behavior
      Citation Excerpt :

      It is also possible that the increased plasma CORT concentrations in response to different copulatory conditions reflect the process of sexual arousal. Indeed, it has been suggested that the adrenal axis is activated during conditions of high behavioral excitation [44] and arousal [45]. In the present study, CORT concentrations were significantly higher in the sexually-experienced males, regardless of sexual condition (ad libitum or EIC), and so concur with the data reported by Bonilla Jaime et al. (2006) [5], which demonstrate that sexual experience plays a role in the endocrine response of male rats.

    • Transient fear-induced alterations in evoked release of norepinephrine and GABA in amygdala slices

      2007, Brain Research
      Citation Excerpt :

      Despite its extrasynaptic placement, microdialysis is well suited to approximate minute to minute changes in “volume neurotransmission” of monoaminergic neurotransmitters that escape the synapse (Drew et al., 2004; Fillenz, 2005). However, amino acid neurotransmitters such as GABA and glutamate are effectively cleared by synaptic uptake systems, thus extrasynaptic GABA and glutamate levels are mostly independent of neuronal activity (Korte et al., 1992). In vivo voltammetry and single unit recordings are useful alternatives to improve time resolution of changes in neurotransmitter levels or detect neuronal activities and highly compatible with study of ongoing behavior (Fillenz, 2005).

    • Chapter 2.4 The roles of urocortins 1, 2, and 3 in the brain

      2005, Techniques in the Behavioral and Neural Sciences
      Citation Excerpt :

      The increased metabolism achieved by CRF occurs through activation of diverse behavioral, thermogenic, and other autonomic pathways. Independent of its effects on behavioral activation (Overton and Fisher, 1989; Diamant et al., 1992b), i.c.v, administration of CRF elevated mean arterial pressure (Fisher and Brown, 1984; Lenz et al., 1987; Grosskreutz and Brody, 1988; Overton and Fisher, 1989; Richter and Mulvany, 1995), elevated heart rate (Fisher and Brown, 1984; Lenz et al., 1987; Grosskreutz and Brody, 1988; Overton and Fisher, 1989; Diamant and de Wied, 1991; Korte et al., 1992; Diamant et al., 1992b; Richter and Mulvany, 1995; Nijsen et al., 2000), increased plasma catecholamine levels (Fisher and Brown, 1984; Lenz et al., 1987; Overton and Fisher, 1989; Irwin et al., 1992; Nijsen et al., 2000), increased firing of sympathetic nerves to brown adipose tissue (Holt and York, 1989), increased brown adipose tissue thermogenesis (LeFeuvre et al., 1987; Arase et al., 1988, 1989a,b), increased core body temperature (Diamant and de Wied, 1991; Buwalda et al., 1997; Linthorst et al., 1997), and increased resting whole body oxygen consumption (VO2) (Rothwell et al., 1991). Consistent with these findings, i.c.v. CRF reduced body weight gain even after reductions in food intake were accounted for by pair-feeding (Rohner-Jeanrenaud et al., 1989; Hotta et al., 1991; Cullen et al., 2001).

    • Corticosteroids in relation to fear, anxiety and psychopathology

      2001, Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews
    View all citing articles on Scopus
    View full text