Corticotropin-releasing hormone neurons in the central Amygdala: An integrative hub for pain, emotion, and addiction neurobiology

Jia Li¹, Zi-Ang Li², Hui-Min Tian³, Sha-Sha Tao⁴, Qian Zhang⁵, Fei Li⁶, Yun-Qing Li⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Human Anatomy, Basic Medical College, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi 563006, China; Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology & K.K. Leung Brain Research Centre, The Fourth Military University, Xi'an 710032, China. Electronic address: lijia_970820@163.com.
² Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology & K.K. Leung Brain Research Centre, The Fourth Military University, Xi'an 710032, China. Electronic address: 981136555@qq.com.
³ Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology & K.K. Leung Brain Research Centre, The Fourth Military University, Xi'an 710032, China. Electronic address: 1908566959@qq.com.
⁴ Department of Human Anatomy, Basic Medical College, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi 563006, China. Electronic address: 2049619291@qq.com.
⁵ Department of Human Anatomy, Basic Medical College, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi 563006, China. Electronic address: zmczq@163.com.
⁶ Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology & K.K. Leung Brain Research Centre, The Fourth Military University, Xi'an 710032, China. Electronic address: lifeifmmu@163.com.
⁷ Department of Human Anatomy, Basic Medical College, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi 563006, China; Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology & K.K. Leung Brain Research Centre, The Fourth Military University, Xi'an 710032, China; Department of Anatomy, Basic Medical College, Dali University, Dali 671000, China. Electronic address: deptanat@fmmu.edu.cn.

PMID: 40467025
DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2025.149753

Review

Corticotropin-releasing hormone neurons in the central Amygdala: An integrative hub for pain, emotion, and addiction neurobiology

Jia Li et al. Brain Res. 2025.

. 2025 Sep 15:1863:149753.

doi: 10.1016/j.brainres.2025.149753. Epub 2025 Jun 2.

Authors

Jia Li¹, Zi-Ang Li², Hui-Min Tian³, Sha-Sha Tao⁴, Qian Zhang⁵, Fei Li⁶, Yun-Qing Li⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Human Anatomy, Basic Medical College, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi 563006, China; Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology & K.K. Leung Brain Research Centre, The Fourth Military University, Xi'an 710032, China. Electronic address: lijia_970820@163.com.
² Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology & K.K. Leung Brain Research Centre, The Fourth Military University, Xi'an 710032, China. Electronic address: 981136555@qq.com.
³ Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology & K.K. Leung Brain Research Centre, The Fourth Military University, Xi'an 710032, China. Electronic address: 1908566959@qq.com.
⁴ Department of Human Anatomy, Basic Medical College, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi 563006, China. Electronic address: 2049619291@qq.com.
⁵ Department of Human Anatomy, Basic Medical College, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi 563006, China. Electronic address: zmczq@163.com.
⁶ Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology & K.K. Leung Brain Research Centre, The Fourth Military University, Xi'an 710032, China. Electronic address: lifeifmmu@163.com.
⁷ Department of Human Anatomy, Basic Medical College, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi 563006, China; Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology & K.K. Leung Brain Research Centre, The Fourth Military University, Xi'an 710032, China; Department of Anatomy, Basic Medical College, Dali University, Dali 671000, China. Electronic address: deptanat@fmmu.edu.cn.

PMID: 40467025
DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2025.149753

Abstract

The central amygdala (CeA) is a critical node within the limbic system. Corticotropin-releasing hormone-positive (CRH⁺) neurons within the CeA are essential for modulating stress responses and negative emotional behaviors. Recent investigations on CRH⁺ neurons in CeA have elucidated their multifaceted and significant biological roles in physiological regulation, encompassing pain, negative emotion, fear memory, and drug withdrawal. This review seeks to provide a comprehensive analysis of the neuronal subtypes and their distribution within the CeA, the afferent and efferent connectivity of of CRH⁺ neurons in the CeA, and their associated functional roles, thereby providing insights and a framework for future research.

Keywords: Central amygdala; Corticotropin-releasing hormone; Drug withdrawal; Fear memory; Negative emotion.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

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Corticotropin-releasing hormone neurons in the central Amygdala: An integrative hub for pain, emotion, and addiction neurobiology

Affiliations

Corticotropin-releasing hormone neurons in the central Amygdala: An integrative hub for pain, emotion, and addiction neurobiology

Authors

Affiliations

Abstract

Conflict of interest statement

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MeSH terms

Substances

LinkOut - more resources

Full Text Sources

Medical