The effects of corticotropin-releasing factor on anoxia-induced changes in evoked potentials in living slices of rat olfactory cortex.

Experiments were performed to address the dynamics of evoked focal potentials in slices of rat olfactory cortex during 10-min anoxia and subsequent reoxygenation. These experiments showed that perfusion with corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF)--corticoliberin--at concentrations of 1, 10, and 100 nM had no effect on changes in EPSP parameters before or during anoxia. However, CRF (10 and 100 nM) significantly aided recovery of the amplitude and slope of EPSP during reoxygenation. Application of the competitive NMDA receptor blocker APV (50 microM) during reoxygenation did not eliminate the protective effects of CRF on neuronal activity.