Table 1.

Total CRF immunoreactivity in the CeA and lateral BNST

	Total density, CeA	Total density, lateral BNST
Nondependent	294.9 ± 9.4	251.5 ± 10.1
Ethanol dependent	247.6 ± 7.1*	230.7 ± 4.6

Ethanol dependence was induced by intermittent exposure to ethanol vapors for 4 weeks, and animals were killed after 2 h of withdrawal. Brains were removed, and CRF expression was measured in the CeA and lateral BNST using immunohistochemical techniques. The data are expressed as the relative density of CRF immunoreactivity (n = 3 animals) and represent the total CRF immunoreactivity within all five bregma sections of each brain area. There was a significant decrease of total CRF immunoreactivity in the CeA of ethanol-dependent animals relative to control.

*p < 0.01 compared with nondependent animals.