Involvement of CRF2 receptor in the brain regions in restraint-induced anorexia.

We have reported that corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) receptor subtypes, CRF1 and CRF2, are involved in stress-induced anorexia. To clarify in which brain regions the CRF receptor is involved in mediating stress-induced anorexia, we examined the effect of microinjecting CRF1-selective or CRF2-selective antagonist into the lateral septum or the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), which are implicated in regulating stress response. The results demonstrated that injecting antisauvagine-30 into the lateral septum or the BNST significantly attenuated restraint-induced anorexia, whereas injecting antalarmin into these regions did not affect anorexia. These results suggest that the CRF2 receptor in the lateral septum and the BNST is involved in the stress-induced inhibitory mechanism of feeding behavior.