Does PACAP have therapeutic potential in the field of neuroregenerative medicine?

The incidence of stroke is gradually increasing in the industrialized world, and is a major cause of long-lasting disability. Several different strategies have been investigated as a means of either preventing the occurrence of stroke or suppressing the subsequent enlargement of the infarct volume. However, due to the narrowness of the therapeutic time window, we are still far from achieving an effective response. One finding that has offered new hope is the discovery that neurogenesis, long regarded as an impossibility in the adult brain, does indeed occur. This raises the possibility that the damaged brain might in fact be able to recover as well as other tissues and organs. In this paper, we will review both existing and potential strategies for the treatment of cerebrovascular disease. In particular, we will focus on the prospects of pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP), a neuropeptide that has been shown to exert both neuroprotective and neurogenic effects.