BioCentury
ARTICLE | Targets & Mechanisms

The hormone trigger in PTSD

March 17, 2011 7:00 AM UTC

Post-traumatic stress disorder is thought to involve changes in the circuitry of brain regions related to fear, although the specific molecular players have been elusive. Now, U.S. researchers have evidence that dysregulation of a brain hormone called PACAP and its receptor, PAC1, contributes to the disorder in women.1

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a syndrome of anxiety and emotional disturbance following traumatic experiences such as combat and is often confused with depression. PTSD typically is treated with talk therapy and anxiolytics...