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Updated: Jun 14, 2026

Optogenetic Manipulation of Neuronal Activity to Modulate Behavior in Freely Moving Mice
Published on: October 27, 2020
CRF receptor 1 regulates anxiety behavior via sensitization of 5-HT2 receptor signaling
Ana C Magalhaes1, Kevin D Holmes, Lianne B Dale
1J. Allyn Taylor Centre for Cell Biology, Molecular Brain Research Group, Robarts Research and the Department of Physiology & Pharmacology, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.
Abstract:
Stress and anxiety disorders are risk factors for depression and these behaviors are modulated by corticotrophin-releasing factor receptor 1 (CRFR1) and serotonin receptor (5-HT(2)R). However, the potential behavioral and cellular interaction between these two receptors is unclear. We found that pre-administration of corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF) into the prefrontal cortex of mice enhanced 5-HT(2)R-mediated anxiety behaviors in response to 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine. In both heterologous cell cultures and mouse cortical neurons, activation of CRFR1 also enhanced 5-HT(2) receptor-mediated inositol phosphate formation. CRFR1-mediated increases in 5-HT(2)R signaling were dependent on receptor internalization and receptor recycling via rapid recycling endosomes, resulting in increased expression of 5-HT(2)R on the cell surface. Sensitization of 5-HT(2)R signaling by CRFR1 required intact PDZ domain-binding motifs at the end of the C-terminal tails of both receptor types. These data suggest a mechanism by which CRF, a peptide known to be released by stress, enhances anxiety-related behavior via sensitization of 5-HT(2)R signaling.
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