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The ability of repeated nicotine exposure to alter locomotor activity and prefrontal cortex CREB phosphorylation in adolescent rats depends on sensation‐seeking phenotype
Author(s) -
Philpot Rex Montgomery,
Engberg Melanie Elizabeth,
Wecker Lynn
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.24.1_supplement.580.8
Subject(s) - creb , nicotine , open field , prefrontal cortex , endocrinology , medicine , impulsivity , psychology , neuroscience , pharmacology , chemistry , developmental psychology , cognition , biochemistry , transcription factor , gene
Individuals with a high sensation‐seeking (HSS) phenotype are more vulnerable to addiction than those with a low SS (LSS) phenotype. Differences in SS may involve alterations in cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), which regulates both impulsivity and reinforcement. We determined whether repeated nicotine had phenotype‐specific effects on CREB phosphorylation in the PFC. Adolescent rats (PND 31), characterized as HSS or LSS based on initial activity in a novel open field, received 8 daily injections of saline or 0.4, 0.6, 1.2 or 1.6 mg/kg nicotine bitartrate (sc) from PND 35–42; activity in a familiarized open field was measured, and CREB and pCREB determined 18 hours after the final injection. Maximal locomotor activity of HSS rats was apparent following 4 days of 0.4 mg/kg nicotine, where LSS rat activity peaked following the 8 th injection of 0.6 mg/kg nicotine. CREB in PFC from HSS or LSS controls did not differ and was unaffected by any dose of nicotine. pCREB was greater in PFC from control HSS than LSS rats, and nicotine increased pCREB, with a greater effect in PFC from LSS animals and a maximal effect equal to that in PFC from HSS animals. Results indicate that repeated nicotine exposure during adolescence has differential effects on both locomotor activity and CREB that mask initial phenotypic differences (Supported by NIAAA AA016449)