The role of CRH in behavioral responses to stress

Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) and urocortin in the central nervous system affect behavior and can enhance behavioral responses to stressors. T he action of CRH-related peptides is mediated through multiple receptors th at differ markedly in their pharmacological profiles and anatomical distrib ution. Comparative pharmacology of CRH receptor agonists suggests that CRH. urocortin, sauvagine acid urotensin consistently mimic, and CRH receptor a ntagonists consistently lessen, functional consequences of stressor exposur e. Recently. important advances have been made in understanding the CRH sys tem and its role in behavioral responses to stress by the development of sp ecific CRH receptor antagonists, application of antisense oligonucleotides and development of transgenic mice lacking peptides and functional receptor s. This review summarizes recent findings with respect to components of the CRH system and their role in stress-induced behavioral responses. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.