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Changes in brain corticotropin-releasing factor messenger RNA expression in aged Fischer 344 rats
J W Kasckow1, A Regmi, J J Mulchahey
1Cincinnati VAMC; Psychiatry Service, 3200 Vine Street, Cincinnati, OH 45220, USA. jkasckow@pol.net
Abstract:
Adaptation in aging may become impaired from abnormal expression of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and altered CRF receptor function. In this study, we measured CRF mRNA levels in Fischer 344 rats at various ages. The brains of these rats were processed for in situ hybridization. Relative to 3-month-old rats, levels of CRF mRNA were significantly decreased in the following brain areas at the following ages: at 24 months in the paraventricular hypothalamus, at 11, 17, and 24 months in the amygdala and at 17 and 24 months in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. These changes may contribute to impaired adaptations to stress, cognitive decline and other pathophysiological processes during aging.