Corticotropin-releasing factor modulates basal and stress-induced excitatory amino acid release in the locus coeruleus of conscious rats

• Published in: Neuroscience letters 1996-02, Vol.204 (1), p.45-48
• Main Authors: Singewald, Nicolas, Zhou, Gui-Ying, Chen, Fung, Philippu, Athineos
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Arginine; Aspartate; Blood pressure; Blood Pressure - drug effects; Blood Pressure - physiology; Corticotropin-releasing factor; Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone - physiology; Excitatory Amino Acids - metabolism; Glutamate; Locus coeruleus; Locus Coeruleus - drug effects; Locus Coeruleus - metabolism; Male; Noise - adverse effects; Noise stress; Push-pull cannula; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Stress, Psychological - metabolism; Tail pinch; Tetrodotoxin; Tetrodotoxin - pharmacology; α-Helical CRF 9–41
• ISSN: 0304-3940; 1872-7972
• DOI: 10.1016/0304-3940(96)12312-0

The in vivo interactions between corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and excitatory amino acid (EAA) release in the locus coeruleus (LC) were studied. Superfusion of the LC with CRF (0.1 μM) led to a prolonged increase in the release rate of aspartate and, to a lesser extent, of glutamate. The CRF antagonist α-helical CRF 9–41 (1 μM) had no effect on basal EAA release but abolished the enhanced aspartate and glutamate release induced by noise stress (95 dB). Tail pinch-induced EAA release was not influenced by α-helical CRF 9–41. Results demonstrate a facilitatory action of CRF on in vivo EAA release in the LC. Furthermore, modulation by CRF of stress-induced EAA release in the LC depends on the nature of stress.