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CRF and the nucleus incertus: a node for integration of stress signals

Nature Reviews Neuroscience volume 18, page 158 (2017)Cite this article

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We recently read with interest the timely and scholarly Review by Henckens et al. (Region-specific roles of the corticotropin-releasing factor–urocortin system in stress. Nat. Rev. Neurosci. 17, 636–651 (2016))1 on the region-specific actions of the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF)–urocortin system in stress neurobiology. However, we note an inadvertent but important omission: a role for CRF signalling in the nucleus incertus.

The nucleus incertus (NI; also known as the 'nucleus O') is located in the pons, below the fourth ventricle2. This highly conserved structure consists mainly of GABAergic projection neurons, innervates many forebrain regions3 and has been implicated in various behaviours including arousal and responses to stress2,4. NI neurons express CRF receptor type 1 (CRFR1) protein and mRNA in abundance5, and electrophysiological characterization in vitro and in vivo has revealed that CRF depolarizes NI cells via postsynaptic CRFR1 in a long-lasting and non-desensitizing manner6. Substantial evidence confirms the importance of CRF signalling in the NI in relation to various stress-related disorders, such as anxiety (reviewed in Refs 2,7).

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Acknowledgements

A.J.L. is an Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) principal fellow (1020737). L.C.W. is supported by an Australian postgraduate scholarship. The authors also acknowledge the Victorian Government's Operational Infrastructure Support Program.

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  1. Leigh C. Walker and Andrew J. Lawrence are at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia.,

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Walker, L., Lawrence, A. CRF and the nucleus incertus: a node for integration of stress signals. Nat Rev Neurosci 18, 158 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn.2016.158

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