Studies of rats also have shown that glucocorticoid receptor levels in the brain were elevated following chronic alcohol exposure, and that mifepristone blockade of glucocorticoid receptors in these rats, systemically or within the central amygdala, reduced escalation of alcohol drinking.32 Collectively, these findings suggest that HPA function and glucocorticoid receptor signaling in the brain, perhaps in specific brain regions, are important targets for medications development for AUD and co-occurring stress-related disorders. Here, NR3C1 is linked to stress-related disorder.