Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology pp 1–2Cite as

Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:

  • 20 Accesses

Synonyms

Corticoliberin; Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF)

Definition

Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) is a hormone that is primarily produced by the hypothalamus and is involved in the stress response. Stress increases levels of corticotropin-releasing hormone, which activates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Elevated CRH levels have been implicated in conditions like depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. It is released from the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus with the primary action within the anterior lobe of the pituitary to initiate the release of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). CRH (41 amino acids long) is derived from a 191 amino acid preprohormone. Other areas of CRH synthesis include peripheral tissues, and it is highly expressed in the placenta.

Cross-References

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

References and Readings

  • Bennett, M. (2008). Stress and anxiety in schizophrenia and depression: Glucocorticoids, corticotropin-releasing hormone and synapse regression. The Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 42(12), 995–1002.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cole, R. D., Kawasumi, Y., Parikh, V., & Bangasser, D. A. (2016). Corticotropin releasing factor impairs sustained attention in male and female rats. Behavioural Brain Research, 296, 30–34.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dunlop, B. W., Rothbaum, B. O., Binder, E. B., Duncan, E., Harvey, P. D., Jovanovic, T., Kelley, M. E., Kinkead, B., Kutner, M., Iosifescu, D. V., Mathew, S. J., Neylan, T. C., Kilts, C. D., Nemeroff, C. B., & Mayberg, H. S. (2014). Evaluation of a corticotropin releasing hormone type 1 receptor antagonist in women with posttraumatic stress disorder: Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials, 15(1), 240.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Fabricio, A., Tringali, G., Pozzoli, G., & Navarra, P. (2005). Mirtazapine acutely inhibits basal and Kþ-stimulated release of corticotropin-releasing hormone from the rat hypothalamus via a non-genomic mechanism. Psychopharmacology, 178(1), 78–82.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Guendelman, S., Lang Kosa, J., Pearl, M., Graham, S., & Kharrazi, M. (2008). Exploring the relationship of second-trimester corticotropin releasing hormone, chronic stress and preterm delivery. The Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine, 21(11), 788–795.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Watts, A., Kelly, A., & Sanchez-Watts, G. (1995). Neuropeptides and thirst: The temporal response of corticotropin-releasing hormone and neurotensin/neuromedin N gene expression in rat limbic forebrain neurons to drinking hypertonic saline. Behavioral Neuroscience, 109(6), 1146–1157.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Weber, M., & Richardson, R. (2001). Centrally administered corticotropin-releasing hormone and peripheral injections of strychnine hydrochloride potentiate the acoustic startle response in pre-weanling rats. Behavioral Neuroscience, 115(6), 1273–1282.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA

    Chava Creque

  2. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA

    Stephanie A. Kolakowsky-Hayner

Authors
  1. Chava Creque
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Stephanie A. Kolakowsky-Hayner
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Chava Creque .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Richmond, Virgin Islands, USA

    Jeffrey Kreutzer

  2. Kessler Foundation , West Orange, New Jersey, USA

    John DeLuca

  3. Suite 200 , Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, USA

    Bruce Caplan

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG

About this entry

Cite this entry

Creque, C., Kolakowsky-Hayner, S.A. (2017). Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone. In: Kreutzer, J., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56782-2_1644-2

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56782-2_1644-2

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-56782-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-56782-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation