In addition to its initial rewarding effects, cocaine has been shown to produce profound
negative/anxiogenic actions. Recent work on the anxiogenic effects of cocaine has
examined the role of corticotropin releasing factor (CRF), with particular attention paid to the
CRF cell bodies resident to the extended amygdala (ie, the central nucleus of the amygdala
[CeA] and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis [BNST]) and the interconnections within and
projections outside the region (eg, to the ventral tegmental area [VTA]). In the current study …