Journal
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR NEUROSCIENCE
Volume 54, Issue 3, Pages 477-484Publisher
HUMANA PRESS INC
DOI: 10.1007/s12031-014-0269-8
Keywords
Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide (PACAP); Bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST); Stress; Corticosterone; Glucocorticoids
Categories
Funding
- National Institutes of Health [MH-97988, MH-072088, MH-096764]
- National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression (NARSAD)
- University of Vermont College of Arts and Sciences
- Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) in Neuroscience at the University of Vermont (National Institute of Health NCRR) [P20RR16435]
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Single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the genes for pituitary adenylyl cyclase-activating peptide (PACAP) and the PAC1 receptor have been associated with stress-related psychiatric disorders. Although, from recent work, we have argued that stress-induced PACAP expression in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST) may mediate stress-related psychopathology, it is unclear whether stress-induced increases in BNST PACAP expression require acute or repeated stressor exposure and whether increased BNST PACAP expression is related to stress-induced increases in circulating glucocorticoids. In the current work, we have used real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) to assess transcript expression in brain punches from rats after stressor exposure paradigms or corticosterone injection. BNST PACAP and PAC1 receptor transcript expression was increased only after 7 days of repeated stressor exposure; no changes in transcript levels were observed 2 or 24 hours after a single-restraint session. Moreover, repeated corticosterone treatment for 7 days was not sufficient to reliably increase BNST PACAP transcript levels, suggesting that stress-induced elevations in corticosterone may not be the primary drivers of BNST PACAP expression. These results may help clarify the mechanisms and temporal processes that underlie BNST PACAP induction for intervention in stress-related anxiety disorders.
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