Depression Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Depression, including details on clinical depression, medication, symptoms, treatment, counselling, therapy.

Corticotropin-releasing factor type-1 receptor antagonists: the next class of antidepressants?

Nielsen DM

Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, Brown University, Box G-BH, Providence, RI 02912 USA. Darci_Nielsen@Brown.edu

Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) is a neuropeptide that plays a primary role in the neuroendocrine, autonomic, and behavioral responses to stressors. Numerous reports suggest that alterations in CRF function contribute to the pathogenesis of depression. Recently, selective nonpeptide CRF type 1 (CRF1) receptor antagonists have been discovered and several of these CRF1 receptor antagonists have demonstrated antidepressant-like efficacy in animals. The CRF1 receptor antagonists appear to be unique, as they exhibit antidepressant-like activity principally in animal models that are hyperresponsive to stress or under experimental conditions that alter endogenous stress-hormone activity. A nonpeptide CRF1 receptor antagonist has also been shown to reduce symptoms of major depression in an open-label clinical trial. Accumulating evidence supports a role for nonpeptide CRF1 receptor antagonists among the future pharmacotherapies for the treatment of depression.

Published 23 January 2006 in Life Sci, 78(9): 909-19.
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