Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34234103›Full record

ArticleTranslational psychiatry2021

Corticotropin-releasing factor induces functional and structural synaptic remodelling in acute stress.

Dorien Vandael, Keimpe Wierda, Katlijn Vints, Pieter Baatsen, Lies De Groef, Lieve Moons, Vasily Rybakin, Natalia V Gounko

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Translational psychiatry, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
19citing papers in PubMed
2.3field-weighted citation impact, top 12% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

19 citing papers in PubMed, 27 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Repeated restraint stress enhances visual plasticity through locus coeruleus (LC)-V1 projection in adult mice.Neuropsychopharmacology : official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology · 2026
    Article
  2. Temporal coding expands the bandwidth of GPCR-mediated neuromodulation.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Oxytocin, Vasopressin and Stress: A Hormetic Perspective.Current issues in molecular biology · 2025
    Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Dorien VandaelVIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Electron Microscopy Platform & VIB-Bioimaging Core, O&N5 Herestraat 49,, box 602, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5568-8098
Keimpe WierdaKU Leuven Department of Neurosciences, Leuven Brain Institute, O&N5 Herestraat 49,, box 602, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
Katlijn VintsVIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Electron Microscopy Platform & VIB-Bioimaging Core, O&N5 Herestraat 49,, box 602, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
Pieter BaatsenVIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Electron Microscopy Platform & VIB-Bioimaging Core, O&N5 Herestraat 49,, box 602, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
Lies De GroefKU Leuven Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, Laboratory of Neural Circuit Development and Regeneration, Naamsestraat 61, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
Lieve MoonsKU Leuven Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, Laboratory of Neural Circuit Development and Regeneration, Naamsestraat 61, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0186-1411
Vasily RybakinNational University of Singapore, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, and Immunology Program, 5 Science Drive 2, Blk MD4, 117545, Singapore, Singapore.
Natalia V GounkoVIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research, Electron Microscopy Platform & VIB-Bioimaging Core, O&N5 Herestraat 49,, box 602, 3000, Leuven, Belgium. natalia.gunko@kuleuven.vib.be.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0791-9477
VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research · BEKU Leuven · BENational University of Singapore · SG

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Biological responses to stress are complex and highly conserved. Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) plays a central role in regulating these lifesaving physiological responses to stress. We show that, in mice, CRF rapidly changes Schaffer Collateral (SC) input into hippocampal CA1 pyramidal cells (PC) by modulating both functional and structural aspects of these synapses. Host exposure to acute stress, in vivo CRF injection, and ex vivo CRF application all result in fast de novo formation and remodeling of existing dendritic spines. Functionally, CRF leads to a rapid increase in synaptic strength of SC input into CA1 neurons, e.g., increase in spontaneous neurotransmitter release, paired-pulse facilitation, and repetitive excitability and improves synaptic plasticity: long-term potentiation (LTP) and long-term depression (LTD). In line with the changes in synaptic function, CRF increases the number of presynaptic vesicles, induces redistribution of vesicles towards the active zone, increases active zone size, and improves the alignment of the pre- and postsynaptic compartments. Therefore, CRF rapidly enhances synaptic communication in the hippocampus, potentially playing a crucial role in the enhanced memory consolidation in acute stress.

Indexed as

Corticotropin-Releasing HormonePyramidal CellsAnimalsHippocampusLong-Term PotentiationMiceSynapsesSynaptic TransmissionCorticotropin-Releasing Hormone

Identifiers

PMID34234103
PMCPMC8263770
OpenAlexW3182128216

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.