Chronic alprazolam decreases CRF mRNA expression in the CeA. After 14 d of incorporation of alprazolam into the diet of male Sprague Dawley rats at a dose of 90 mg·kg⁻¹·d⁻¹, CRF mRNA expression was measured via densitometric analysis subsequent toin situ hybridization performed in the BNST, PVN, CeA, and Barrington's nucleus (BarNu). Eachverticalbar represents the mean ± SEM (n = 8 per group). Two to four slices were quantified per region per rat. **p < 0.01 versus controls after analysis by a two-tailed t test.