Project Summary

Maria Venychaki, Ph.D. (Young Investigator 2002) of Children's Hospital, Boston, is studying urocortin III, a molecule which is like corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) in that it is believed to mediate stress-induced behaviors such as anxiety in mice with specific deletion of CRH.  These mice have normal behavior under basal conditions and following stress, even though they are not receiving CRH during stress which stimulates the release of a hormone from the pituitary called ACTH which in turn is transported to the adrenal gland where it causes the release of glucorticoid hormone.  Dr. Venychaki will study the regulation of urocortin III gene expression by stress and glucocorticoid and its potential role in stress induced behaviors and anxiety.  These studies may provide important information for the design and application of novel therapeutic agents for the management of very common affective disorders such as anxiety.

Program Area: ANXIETY DISORDERS\Anxiety Disorder

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