Lateral Septal PACAP Increased Stress Hormones and Anxiety Behavior
A 2026 rat study found that activating PACAP signaling in the lateral septum amplified stress-hormone release and anxiety-like behavior, while blocking endogenous PACAP receptors produced an anxiolytic pattern.1 The result makes the lateral septum look less like a passive relay and more like a stress-reactivity node in the PACAP pathway. Research Highlights Stress hormones rose: …