Cortical concentrations of corticotropin-releasing hormone and its receptor in Alzheimer type dementia and major depression.

Corticotropin-releasing hormone-immunoreactivity (CRH-IR) and CRH receptors (binding capacity and affinity) were measured in postmortem cortical areas from depressed subjects, two groups of senile dementia of the Alzheimer type (SDAT), and age-, sex-, and postmortem-delay-matched controls. No difference in CRH-IR and CRH receptor status between depressed subjects and controls was noted. CRH-IR was decreased in all cortical areas in SDAT, with a corresponding increase in CRH receptor binding capacity (with no change in affinity) in occipital cortex. No effects of postmortem delay were seen. It is suggested that the increase in CRH receptor numbers in SDAT is related to the degree of distribution of pathological involvement in specific regions.