Cholecystokinin (CCK) is a polipeptyde having many functions in digestive system (regulating motor activity and secretion) and acting as a neuromodulator in central and peripheral nervous systems. Recent research shows that CCK increases insulin and glukagon secretion and activates hypothalamo- pituitary- adrenal axis. It also plays a role in cardiovascular system (CCK has a positive inotropic effect). The aim of this study is to show some recent knowledge in the subject of CCK structure and its function in human body.
Administration of 0.2 mug of alpha-helical CRF9-41 (corticotropin-releasing factor receptor antagonist, ahCRF9-41) into the locus coeruleus (LC) region significantly reduced footshock-induced freezing behavior in adult male rats. Changes in the concentrations of noradrenaline (NA), dopamine and their catabolites in cortex, hippocampus and hypothalamus of footshocked rats were reminiscent of those observed in stressed animals. Rats injected with ahCRF prior to footshock displayed cerebral catecholamine responses that were not different from controls injected with vehicle. The results confirm earlier findings that CRF receptors at the LC region may mediate freezing and behavioral expression of fear. However, the results also suggest that though CRF receptors within the LC region mediate footshock-induced behavior, they are not necessarily involved in the short-term catecholamine response to footshock.
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