Localization of Corticoliberin Receptors in the Rat Brain

In situ hybridization was used to study the distribution of corticoliberin receptors of subtypes 1 and 2 (CL-R1 and CL-R2 respectively) in different structures of the rat brain. Levels of CL-R1 mRNA in the brain were significantly greater than levels of CL-R2 mRNA, and the most intense expression of the CL-R1 gene was seen in forebrain structures, especially various neocortical, archicortical, and paleocortical regions in the cerebellar cortex. In addition, significant levels of CL-R1 mRNA expression were noted in the red nucleus and the reticular nucleus of the tegmentum. Intense expression of CL-R2 mRNA was observed in structures of the olfactory system, corticomedial parts of the amygdala, fields CA1–CA4 of the hippocampus, the ventromedial hypothalamus, and several brain stem nuclei. Moderate levels of CL-R2 mRNA were seen in the dorsolateral neostriatum. These results provide evidence that corticoliberin receptors of both subtypes are widespread in the brain. The different patterns of expression of CL-R1 and CL-R2 in the brain probably provide the basis for the functional specificity of action of corticoliberin in brain structures.     

Modification of the behavioral effects of corticoliberin by early post-natal administration of corticosteroid hormones

Experiments on rats in which hydrocortisone was given in the early postnatal period were used to study the effects of intrastriatal microinjection of corticoliberin on behavior in an open field test. Bilateral microinjection of corticoliberin into the neostriatum led to a sharp reduction in orientational-investigative activity. Rats given hydrocortisone in the first five days of life had elevated movement activity, and the anxiogenic effect of corticoliberin was absent in these animals. I. P. Pavlov Institute of Physiology, St. Petersburg. Translated from Zhurnal Vysshei Nervnoi Deyatel'nosti imeni I. P. Pavlova, Vol. 47. No. 1, pp. 130–135. January–February, 1997.     

Sex-Dependent Actions of Prenatal Stress on the Activity of the Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal-Adrenocortical System in Rats: The Role of Corticosteroid Receptors in the Brain

Neuroscience and Behavioral Physiology - Prenatal stress is regarded as a risk factor for the development of diseases such as mental, cardiovascular, and metabolic disorders in later life....     

One-Year Follow-up of Duodenal Ulcers after 1-Wk Triple Therapy for Helicobacter pylori

Objective : to study the ulcer recurrence rate of Helicobacter pylori-positive duodenal ulcers at 1 yr after eradication of the bacteria by triple therapy. Method : Patients with H. pylori-positive duodenal ulcers were randomized to receive either triple therapy for 1 wk plus omeprazole for 4 wk (THple+OMP) (n = 78), or omeprazole alone (OMP) for 4 wk (N = 77). Patients were followed up every 3 months for symptom enquiry. At 1 yr, all asymptomatic patients were invited to attend for gastroscopy. Results : At 8 wk, 16 patients in the OMP group and four in the Triple+OMP group had an ulcer. During the 1-yr period, 12 patients in the OMP group and no patient in the Triple+OMP group developed symptomatic ulcers. At follow-up endoscopy at 1 yr, another 10 ulcers were detected in the OMP group and two in the Triple+OMP group. Fifteen patients in the OMP group and 13 in the Triple+OMP group were lost to follow-up. In total, ulcers were de-tected in 39 of 61 (64%) assessahle patients in the OMP group, and in six of 65 (97o) assessahle patients in the Triple+OMP group after I yr (χ² test: p < 0.001). Of the patients whose H, pytori were successfully eradicated hy Triple+OMP at 8 wk, 90% remained H. pylori negative at 1 yr. Conclusion : Triple therapy for 1 wk eradicates H, pylori infection and significantly reduces duodenal ulcer relapses.