Corticotropin-releasing factor: effects on the autonomic nervous system and visceral systems.

Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) acts within the central nervous system to modify the activity of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, cardiovascular function, endocrine-pancreatic function, and carbohydrate metabolism. These changes in animal physiology induced by CRF provide a tenable basis for hypothesizing that this peptide may be physiologically involved in integrating the neuroendocrine, autonomic, cardiovascular, and metabolic responses to stressful stimuli. This hypothesis is supported by studies demonstrating that glucocorticoids or CRF receptor antagonists alter both the neuroendocrine and autonomic responses to stress.