Genetic Background Influences the Effects of Withdrawal from Chronic Nicotine on Learning and High-Affinity Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Binding in the Dorsal and Ventral Hippocampus

摘要

RationaleThe effects of nicotine on cognitive processes may play an important role in nicotine addiction. Nicotine withdrawal impairs hippocampus-dependent learning and genetic factors influence this effect. However, the neural changes that contribute to these impairments are unknown. Chronic nicotine upregulates hippocampal nicotinic acetycholine receptors (nAChRs), which may contribute to cognitive deficits when nicotine administration ceases. If nAChR upregulation underlies withdrawal-deficits in learning, then strains of mice exhibiting withdrawal-deficits in hippocampus-dependent learning should also show upregulation of hippocampal nAChRs.