Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide induces a depressive-like phenotype in rats

The present study investigated the effects of central administration of PACAP in rats on depressive-like behaviors, using well-established animal models that represent some of the endophenotypes of depression. We used intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS) to assess the brain reward function, saccharin preference test to assess anhedonia, social interaction to assess social withdrawal, and forced swim test (FST) to assess behavioral despair. PACAP raised the current threshold for ICSS, elevation blocked by the PACAP antagonist PACAP(6-38). PACAP reduced the preference for a sweet saccharin solution and reduced the time the rats spent interacting with a novel animal. Interestingly, PACAP administration did not affect immobility in the FST. Our results demonstrate a role for the central PACAP/PAC(1)R system in the regulation of depressive-like behaviors and suggest that hyperactivity of the PACAP/PAC1R system may contribute to the pathophysiology of depression, particularly the associated anhedonic symptomatology and social dysfunction.