Voluntary Nicotine Consumption Triggers In Vivo Potentiation of Cortical Excitatory Drives to Midbrain Dopaminergic Neurons
Open accessAbstract
Active response to either natural or pharmacological reward causes synaptic modifications to excitatory synapses on dopamine (DA) neurons of the ventral tegmental area (VTA). Here, we examine these modifications using nicotine, the main addictive component of tobacco, which is a potent regulator of VTA DA neurons. Using an in vivo electrophysiological technique, we investigated the role of key components of the limbic circuit, the infralimbic cortex (ILCx) and the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), in operant behaviors related to nicotine reward. Our results indicated that nicotine self-administration in rats, but not passive delivery, triggers hyperactivity of VTA DA neurons. The data suggest that potentiation of the ILCx-BNST excitatory pathway is involved in these modifications in VTA DA neurons. Thus, recruitment of these specific excitatory inputs to VTA DA neurons may be a neural correlate for the learned association between active responding and the reward experience.
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The reinforcing effects of nicotine during abstinence are particularly strong because nicotine burst firing causes an even stronger relative response than usual.
“Thus, the reinforcing effects of nicotine during abstinence are particularly strong because nicotine burst firing causes an even stronger relative response than usual.”
From Withdrawal from Chronic Nicotine Exposure Alters Dopamine Signaling Dynamics in the Nucleus Accumbens (2012) · cites this paper as [41]
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- Authors
- Caillé, S., Guillem, K., Cador, M., Manzoni, O., & Georges, F.
- Affiliations
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- Université de Bordeaux (FR)
- Corresponding author
- Georges, François
- Venue
- The Journal of Neuroscience
- Publisher
- Society for Neuroscience
- Published
- 2009-08-19
- Volume
- 29
- Issue
- 33
- Pages
- 10410-10415
- ISSN
- 0270-6474 (ISSN-L)
- 1529-2401
- PMC
- PMC6665781
- OpenAlex
- W2024246186
- Cited by
- 43
- References
- 26
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2023: 1 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 6 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 3 · 2012: 5
- FWCI
- 1.66
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Journal of Neuroscience (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-sa)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- VU Research Portal (publishedVersion, other-oa)
- Digital Academic REpository of VU University Amsterdam (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam) (submittedVersion)
- Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Funders
- Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
- Institut National Du Cancer
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors Study
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
- Keywords
- nicotine self-administration, ventral tegmental area, dopaminergic neurons, infralimbic cortex, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, excitatory synapses, nicotine reward, synaptic plasticity, limbic circuits, operant responding, nicotine dependence
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Cerebral Cortex, Male, Mesencephalon, Neural Pathways, Neurons, Nicotine, Self Administration, Rats, Sprague-Dawley, Excitatory Postsynaptic Potentials, Rats
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