Nicotinic excitation of rat ventral tegmental neurones in vitro studied by intracellular recording
Open accessAbstract
1. Intracellular recordings were made from presumed dopamine-containing neurones in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) in rat brain slices. 2. Nicotine (10-100 microM) and acetylcholine (ACh) depolarized the neurones. The depolarization caused by ACh was typically biphasic; both components were increased by neostigmine (0.1-10 microM), but only the slower component was blocked by scopolamine (1-10 microM). 3. The nicotinic action of ACh, studied in the presence of neostigmine and scopolamine, persisted in the presence of tetrodotoxin (1 microM) and cobalt (2-5 mM). 4. ACh or carbachol (30 microM) caused inward currents in neurones voltage-clamped near the resting potential. These currents reversed polarity at around -4 mV, were blocked by hexamethonium (1-100 microM) in a voltage-dependent manner, and showed desensitization with prolonged or repeated agonist applications. 5. Depolarizations caused by ACh and carbachol were reduced in slices pretreated with kappa-bungarotoxin, but were not changed by alpha-bungarotoxin. 6. These responses to ACh and nicotine resemble those previously described on autonomic ganglion cells. The direct action on VTA neurones may contribute to the positive reinforcement associated with nicotine consumption.
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Nicotine can directly excite dopaminergic neurons via nicotinic receptors on the somatodendritic region of dopaminergic neurons.
“Nicotine can directly excite dopaminergic neurons via the nicotinic receptors on the somatodendritic region of dopaminergic neurons (Calabresi et al., 1989; Pidoplichko et al., 1997).”
From Dopamine reward circuitry: Two projection systems from the ventral midbrain to the nucleus accumbens–olfactory tubercle complex (2007) · cites this paper as Calabresi et al., 1989
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- Authors
- Calabresi, P., Lacey, M. G., & North, R. A.
- Affiliations
- Oregon Health & Science University (US)
- Corresponding author
- North, R.A.
- Venue
- British Journal of Pharmacology
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 1989-09
- Volume
- 98
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 135-140
- ISSN
- 0007-1188 (ISSN-L)
- 1476-5381
- PMC
- PMC1854679
- OpenAlex
- W2074102542
- Cited by
- 285
- References
- 36
- Citations by year
- 2025: 1 · 2024: 2 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 3 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 10 · 2013: 7 · 2012: 6
- FWCI
- 3.87
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- British Journal of Pharmacology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
- National Institute of Mental Health (MH 40416)
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (DA03161)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors Study
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
- Keywords
- nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, ventral tegmental area, dopaminergic neurons, acetylcholine, nicotine, neostigmine, scopolamine, tetrodotoxin, cobalt, carbachol, inward current, hexamethonium, desensitization, bungarotoxin, positive reinforcement, nicotine use
- MeSH terms
- Acetylcholine, Animals, Bungarotoxins, Carbachol, Electrophysiology, Hexamethonium Compounds, Male, Membrane Potentials, Neurons, Nicotine, Receptors, Nicotinic, Tegmentum Mesencephali, Rats, In Vitro Techniques
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