Sex‐specific plasticity in CRF regulation of inhibitory control in central amygdala CRF1 neurons after chronic voluntary alcohol drinking

Despite strong preclinical evidence for the ability of corticotropin releasing factor 1 (CRF1) antagonists to regulate alcohol consumption, clinical trials have not yet demonstrated therapeutic effects of these compounds in alcohol use disorder (AUD) patients. Several confounding factors may limit the translation of preclinical CRF1 research to patients, including reliance on experimenter‐administered alcohol instead of voluntary consumption, a preponderance of evidence collected in male subjects only and an inability to assess the effects of alcohol on specific brain circuits. A population of particular interest is the CRF1‐containing neurons of the central amygdala (CeA). CRF1 CeA neurons are sensitive to ethanol, but the effects of alcohol drinking on CRF signalling within this population are unknown. In the present study, we assessed the effects of voluntary alcohol drinking on inhibitory control of CRF1+ CeA neurons from male and female CRF1:GFP mice using ex vivo electrophysiology and determined the contributions of CRF1 signalling to inhibitory control and voluntary alcohol drinking. Chronic alcohol drinking produced neuroadaptations in CRF1+ neurons that increased the sensitivity of GABAA receptor‐mediated sIPSCs to the acute effects of alcohol, CRF and the CRF1 antagonist R121919, but these adaptations were more pronounced in male versus female mice. The CRF1 antagonist CP‐154,526 reduced voluntary alcohol drinking in both sexes and abolished sex differences in alcohol drinking. The lack of alcohol‐induced adaptation in the female CRF1 system may be related to the elevated alcohol intake exhibited by female mice and could contribute to the ineffectiveness of CRF1 antagonists in female AUD patients. Alcohol enhances the effects of CRF on GABA release onto CRF1+ neurons. In males but not females, this alcohol‐induced potentiation is mediated by the CRF1 receptor.