The effects of human corticotrophin releasing factor on motor and cognitive deficits after impact acceleration injury.

Corticotrophin releasing factor has been shown in several models of tissue injury to be an effective treatment for edema. In a previous study we demonstrated this ability in two models of traumatic brain injury (TBI). The aim of this study was to assess whether human corticotrophin releasing factor (hCRF) could additionally improve motor and cognitive deficits. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomised into five groups and injured with the Impact Acceleration Model of TBI. Groups I and II received sham injury followed by treatment with either drug vehicle or 100 micrograms kg-1 hCRF respectively. Group III was injured with no treatment; Group IV animals were injured and treated with 50 micrograms kg-1 hCRF and Group V were injured and treated with 100 micrograms kg-1 hCRF. Animals were assessed both before and after injury with a battery of standardised neuropsychological tests including the Morris Water Maze, the Beam Walk Test, the Beam Balance Test and the Inclined Plane Test. Both 50 micrograms kg-1 and 100 micrograms kg-1 hCRF caused significant improvements in motor and cognitive functioning, confirming that in addition to edema-reducing properties, human corticotrophin releasing factor is also capable of improving motor and cognitive functioning. Given the beneficial experimental effects of this compound, hCRF may be a useful clinical treatment, which requires formal evaluation.