Peripubertal and adult male rats differ in their hypothalamic-pituitary response to cholinergic challenge

ABSTRACT The influence of pubertal development on the cholinergic regulation of adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) was examined by measuring the ACTH response to the cholinergic agonist physostigmine in peripubertal and adult male rats. Adult animals showed significantly greater ACTH responses to both doses of physostigmine. This possible maturational difference in cholinergic sensitivity could underlie differences in the frequencies of biological markers between juvenile and adult patients with depressive disorders.