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Review
. 2023 Aug 7;11(8):2217.
doi: 10.3390/biomedicines11082217.

The Role of Corticotropin-Releasing Factor (CRF) and CRF-Related Peptides in the Social Behavior of Rodents

Zsolt Bagosi  1 , Kíra Megyesi  2 , Jázmin Ayman  3 , Hanna Rudersdorf  1 , Maieda Khan Ayaz  1 , Krisztina Csabafi  1
Affiliations
Review

The Role of Corticotropin-Releasing Factor (CRF) and CRF-Related Peptides in the Social Behavior of Rodents

Zsolt Bagosi et al. Biomedicines. .

Abstract

Since the corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) was isolated from an ovine brain, a growing family of CRF-related peptides has been discovered. Today, the mammalian CRF system consists of four ligands (CRF, urocortin 1 (Ucn1), urocortin 2 (Ucn2), and urocortin 3 (Ucn3)); two receptors (CRF receptor type 1 (CRF1) and CRF receptor type 2 (CRF2)); and a CRF-binding protein (CRF-BP). Besides the regulation of the neuroendocrine, autonomic, and behavioral responses to stress, CRF and CRF-related peptides are also involved in different aspects of social behavior. In the present study, we review the experiments that investigated the role of CRF and the urocortins involved in the social behavior of rats, mice, and voles, with a special focus on sociability and preference for social novelty, as well as the ability for social recognition, discrimination, and memory. In general, these experiments demonstrate that CRF, Ucn1, Ucn2, and Ucn3 play important, but distinct roles in the social behavior of rodents, and that they are mediated by CRF1 and/or CRF2. In addition, we suggest the possible brain regions and pathways that express CRF and CRF-related peptides and that might be involved in social interactions. Furthermore, we also emphasize the differences between the species, strains, and sexes that make translation of these roles from rodents to humans difficult.

Keywords: CRF; CRF receptor; social interaction; urocortin.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funders had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; or in the decision to publish the manuscript.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The anatomical distribution of CRF and the urocortins (Ucn1, Ucn2, and Ucn3) in the rodent brain. Adapted with permission from Ref. [21].
Figure 2
Figure 2
The anatomical distribution of CRF receptors (CRF1 and CRF2) in a rodent brain. Adapted with permission from Ref. [21].
Figure 3
Figure 3
The brain regions and pathways that express the CRF and CRF-related peptides involved in the social behavior of rodents. Adapted with permission from Ref. [21].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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