AbstractPituitary adenylate cyclase‐activating polypeptide (PACAP) receptors are actively expressed in the cortical layers of the cerebellum of rodents and contribute to cerebellar development. The present report provides the first anatomical localization and characterization of PACAP receptors in the developing human cerebellum. RT‐PCR analysis from 15‐week‐old fetuses to 22‐year‐old subject showed that PAC1‐R and VPAC1‐R are expressed in the cerebellum at all stages, whereas VPAC2‐R mRNA was barely detectable. In situ hybridization labeling indicated that, in human fetuses, PAC1‐R mRNA is associated with the external granule cell layer (EGL), a germinative neuroepithelium, and with the internal granule cell layer (IGL). The distribution pattern of VPAC1‐R mRNA was very similar to that of PAC1‐R mRNA, whereas VPAC2‐R mRNA was visualized only in 7–22‐year‐old subjects. The localization of [125I]PACAP27 binding sites was fully consistent with the distribution of PAC1‐R and VPAC1‐R mRNA. Pharmacological characterization revealed that, in the EGL and IGL from 15–24‐week‐old fetuses and in the granule cell layer from 7–22‐year‐old patients, binding sites exhibit a PAC1‐R profile. In contrast, PACAP binding sites observed in the molecular layer and medulla of the adult cerebellum consisted of a heterogeneous population of PAC1‐R and VPAC(1/2)‐R. Altogether, these data provide the first evidence that PACAP receptors are expressed in the human cerebellar cortex. PAC1‐R is the predominant PACAP receptor found in fetuses, and both PAC1‐R and VPAC1‐R are expressed in the mature cerebellum. These observations suggest that PACAP has neurodevelopmental functions in the human cerebellum. J. Comp. Neurol. 496:468–478, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.