Posted by Cam W. on July 30, 2000, at 20:24:51
In reply to Check This Out........................, posted by Ant-Rock on July 30, 2000, at 16:31:33
Ant - I have been following CRF-antagonists for about a year or so. Even Holsboer believes that CFR-antagonists will only be a stop-gap until regular antidepressants kick in. The CRF-antagonists will help with depressive symptoms until the overabundance of CRF (and CRF receptors?) are reduced, rebalancing the HPA axis. After this I believe that they won't work long term (unless the researchers have overcome some of the problems seen with earlier versions of CRF-antagonists.
I think that it is an excess of glucocorticoid receptors (upregulated, but functionally aberrant in response to increased cortisol levels in depression), that may cause the increase in CRF. In depressed patients, there is an overabundance of CRF producing mRNA in the hypothalamus.
Just some thoughts on your interesting info - Cam.
poster:Cam W.
thread:41770
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000729/msgs/41799.html