Traumatic stress-induced increases in anxiety-like behavior and alcohol self-administration are mediated by central amygdala CRF1 neurons that project to the lateral hypothalamus.

Avoidance stress coping, defined as persistent internal and/or external avoidance of stress-related stimuli, is a key feature of anxiety- and stress-related disorders, and contributes to increases in alcohol misuse after stress exposure. Previous work using a rat model of predator odor stress avoidance identified corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) signaling via CRF type-1 receptors (CRF1) in the central amygdala (CeA), as well as CeA projections to the lateral hypothalamus (LH) as key mediators of conditioned avoidance of stress-paired contexts and/or increased alcohol drinking after stress. Here, we report that CRF1-expressing CeA cells that project to the LH are preferentially activated in male and female rats that show persistent avoidance of predator odor stress-paired contexts (termed Avoider rats), and that chemogenetic inhibition of these cells rescues stress-induced increases in anxiety-like behavior and alcohol self-administration in male and female Avoider rats. Using slice electrophysiology, we found that prior predator odor stress exposure blunts inhibitory synaptic transmission and increases synaptic drive in CRF1 CeA-LH cells. In addition, we found that CRF bath application reduces synaptic drive in CRF1 CeA-LH cells in Non-Avoiders only. Collectively, these data show that CRF1 CeA-LH cells contribute to stress-induced increases in anxiety-like behavior and alcohol self-administration in male and female Avoider rats. Significance Statement Stress may lead to a variety of behavioral and physiological negative consequences, and better understanding of the neurobiogical mechanisms that contribute to negative stress effects may lead to improved prevention and treatment strategies. This study, performed in lab rats, shows that animals that exhibit avoidance stress coping go on to develop heightened anxiety-like behavior and alcohol self-administration, and that these behaviors can be rescued by inhibiting the activity of a specific population of neurons in the central amygdala. This study also describes stress-induced physiological changes in these neurons that may contribute to their role in promoting increased anxiety and alcohol self-administration.