CRF Receptor Antagonists for Treatment of Cocaine Abuse

Stress plays a major role in the precipitation and maintenance of drug abuse. Recent data demonstrastressors to facilitate the acquisition of ethanol and cocaine self-administration. Corticotropin-reprimary factors in brain responsible for coordinating the endocrine, behavioral, autonomic and electresponses to stress. There is also evidence for an involvement of CRF in depression and anxiety disoaccount, in part for the co-morbidity of addictive and affective disorders. This proposal tests theaspects of cocaine administration and the participation of anxiogenic-like processes in the inceptiohabitual cocaine use involve the activation of brain CRF. Therefore, agents that antagonize the CRFuseful in ameliorating the adverse consequences of cocaine intoxication and limit the dependency liaNeurocrine has identified several series of proprietary non-peptide, high affinity CRF receptor antasignificant receptor selectivity in vitro and anti-anxiety effects following systemic administrationthe ability of selective, high-affinity peptide CRF receptor antagonists as well as novel non-peptidantagonists to attenuate the aversive, anxiogenic and reinforcing properties of cocaine.