Corticotropin releasing factor: A key role in the neurobiology of addiction

Highlights • CRF systems have emerged as mediators of the body’s response to stress and, relatedly, the pathophysiology of addiction. • CRF systems have a prominent role in driving the addiction via actions in the central extended amygdala. • Addiction-related actions are anxious behavior, brain reward deficits, excessive drug use and stress-induced drug-seeking. • Polymorphisms in CRF system molecules are associated with drug use phenotypes in humans, often with stress history.