Psychological stress impairs hepatic blood flow via central CRF receptors in mice

Some previous works have further expanded the 'Brain-Gut axis', that is a bi-directional interaction between the gut and brain function, into a relationship of the brain with the liver. However, all the details of such brain-liver relationship were not fully understood because appropriate animal models had not been established yet. Here we developed a novel animal model, in which hepatic blood flow of conscious mice could be measured in real-time. In addition, using this model, we also demonstrated that exposure to psychological stress considerably reduced hepatic blood flow via central CRF receptors. Thus, this new model is considered to be a useful and promising tool for elucidating the precise effects of emotional factors on liver function. (C) 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.