Neuroscience
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Besides corticotropin releasing factor, central stress regulatory pathways utilize various neurotransmitters/neuropeptides, such as urocortin and cocaine and amphetamine-regulated transcript, which play an important role in modifying the efferent components of endocrine, immune and behavioral responses to stress. Urocortin's distribution in the rat's brain has been demonstrated, with the most abundant urocortin-ir perikarya present in Edinger-Westphal nucleus. Cocaine and amphetamine-regulated transcript is widely expressed in the rat brain, with a dominant seat of cellular expression also in the Edinger-Westphal nucleus. ⋯ Our experiments revealed that urocortin and cocaine and amphetamine-regulated transcript immunoreactivities colocalize in the Edinger-Westphal nucleus. In addition, our studies using the inducible immediate early gene c-fos as a marker of activated neurons demonstrated a significant stress-induced activation in perikarya colocalizing urocortin- and cocaine and amphetamine-regulated transcript-ir in the Edinger-Westphal nucleus. In view of these data it can be postulated that neurons colocalizing cocaine and amphetamine-regulated transcript and urocortin immunoreactivities respond to acute stress, and may play a role in modulating various physiological functions, such as feeding behaviors.