Journal
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
Volume 24, Issue 21, Pages 5000-5008Publisher
SOC NEUROSCIENCE
DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0143-04.2004
Keywords
prefrontal cortex; corticotropin-releasing factor; stress; IPSC; serotonin; PKC
Categories
Funding
- NIA NIH HHS [R01 AG021923, AG-21923] Funding Source: Medline
- NIMH NIH HHS [MH63128, R01 MH063128] Funding Source: Medline
Ask authors/readers for more resources
The stress-related neuropeptide corticotropin- releasing factor (CRF) and the serotonin system are both critically involved in the pathophysiology of mental disorders, including anxiety and depression. To understand the potential link between them, we investigated the impact of CRF on 5-HT functions in pyramidal neurons of the prefrontal cortex (PFC), a brain region that is crucial for the control of emotion and cognition. One prominent function of serotonin in PFC is to regulate GABAergic inhibitory transmission, as indicated by a 5-HT-induced large, desensitizing (similar to4 min) enhancement of the amplitude and frequency of spontaneous IPSCs (sIPSCs). In PFC slices exposed to CRF treatment, the regulation of sIPSCs by 5-HT was significantly prolonged ( 8 - 10 min), and this effect of CRF was blocked by treatment with the competitive CRF receptor antagonist alpha-helical CRF9-41 and with the CRF-R1-specific antagonist astressin. Inhibiting phospholipase C or proteinkinase C(PKC) abolished the prolongation by CRF of the effects of 5-HT on sIPSCs. In PFC slices prepared from animals previously exposed to acute stress ( forced swim or elevated platform), the regulation of sIPSCs by 5-HT was significantly prolonged, mimicking the effect of CRF treatment. The stress-induced prolongation of the effects of 5-HT on sIPSCs was diminished by alpha-helical CRF9-41 treatment, mimicked by direct activation of PKC, and reversed by short-term treatment with drugs that have anxiolytic efficacy. These results show that in response to stressful stimuli, CRF alters the serotonergic regulation of GABA transmission through a mechanism that is dependent on PKC. The interaction between CRF and 5-HT may play an important role in psychiatric disorders, in which both are highly implicated.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available