Conny Kopp-Scheinpflug: Trading accuracy for speed: Stress peptide signaling at the calyx of Held
| When |
Jul 23, 2025
from 12:15 PM to 01:00 PM |
|---|---|
| Where | Bernstein Center, Hansastr. 9a, Lecture Hall. |
| Contact Name | Gundel Jaeger |
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Abstract
Stress significantly alters sensory perception by modulating neural circuits via the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. Neuropeptides such as corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and urocortins (UCN1, UCN2, UCN3) regulate this axis through differential activation of CRF receptors. While CRFR1 typically drives stress responses, CRFR2, activated by UCN2 and UCN3, may support stress recovery and anxiolysis. The auditory system, particularly the calyx of Held synapse in the brainstem, is a critical site for rapid threat detection and thus ideal for studying stress-related neuromodulation.
Here, we show that UCN3 enhances synaptic efficacy via CRFR2 activation, increasing EPSC amplitude, transmission speed, and reliability. Pharmacological CRFR2 blockade produces inverse effects. In vivo, UCN3 knockout mice exhibit reduced auditory dynamic range, poorer spectral tuning, and faster but less efficient synaptic responses. These findings establish a functional role for UCN3-CRFR2 signaling in shaping auditory synaptic transmission and highlight its contribution to sensory adaptation towards faster, yet less accurate encoding of sound during stress.