Tobacco use is the leading cause of preventable deaths worldwide. This habit is not only debilitating to individual users but also to those around them (second-hand smoking). Nicotine is the main addictive component of tobacco products and is a powerful stimulant and reinforcer. Importantly, besides its unconditional effects, nicotin also has conditional stimulus effects that may contribute to the tenacity of the smoking habit. Investigation of learning processes involving nicotine as a conditioned stimulus (CS) is an understudied area relevant to nicotine dependence. Understanding these associative processes with the interoceptive effects of nicotine is of importance if a goal is to develop a comprehensive theory of addiction and, hence, develop better prevention and treatment strategies. A preliminary study assessing neurobiological loci involved in nicotine-evoked CR found that activation (as revealed through elevation of c-Fos) of dmCPu was dependent on learning history with nicotine. The proposed research builds on this finding and is designed to elucidate functional involvement of dmCPu in the conditioning processes with nicotine as a CS. Because anatomical connections within anterior-posterior axis of the rat's dorsal striatum are not homogeneous and can differ in their control of conditioning processes, both anterior (a-dmCPu) and posterior (p-dmCPu) portions of dmCPu will be tested for their involvement in acquisition and expression of the nicotine-evoked CR. The current study will examine the effect of permanent neurotoxin lesions of either a- or p-dmCPu on acquisition of nicotine evoked CR, and the effect of transient lesions of either a- or p-dmCPu on the expression of the nicotine-evoked CR. In the first experiment, rats will receive lesions (NMDA) or sham lesions (vehicle) of either a-dmCPu or p-dmCPu before nicotine CS training. During nicotine CS training (32 total daily sessions), nicotine injections (0.4 mg/kg;SC) will be paired 100% of a time with intermittent (36 per session) sucrose deliveries;sucrose will not be available on alternative saline days. Using this protocol, the nicotine CS readily acquires control of a goal-tracking CR (anticipatory food-seeking response). Deficits in acquiring this nicotine- evoked CR (using this standard protocol) will indicate a region's involvement in acquisition of the CR to the nicotine CS. In the second experiment, rats will first undergo nicotine CS training (identical to Experiment 1) and then receive implantation of intracranial cannulae (a- or p-dmCPu). Rats will be bilaterally infused with either lidocaine or saline before testing for the nicotine-evoked CR. Attenuated CR during testing will indicate critical involvement of implicated area in the expression of the CR. Knowledge gained from these experiments will fill a gap in understanding regional neurobiological processes potentially contributing to the tenacity of tobacco dependence.

Public Health Relevance

Our recent preliminary finding implicating dorsomedial caudate-putamen in the conditioning processes with the nicotine stimulus is the first to investigate the potential neurobiological substrates of this effect. A better understanding of neurobiological mechanisms involved in excitatory conditioning with nicotine can be used to design more effective behavioral and pharmacological treatments for individuals seeking to discontinue the debilitating habit of tobacco use. The current project will do that by examining involvement of anterior and posterior dorsomedial caudate-putamen in acquisition and expression of nicotine-evoked conditioned response.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Type
Predoctoral Individual National Research Service Award (F31)
Project #
5F31DA034449-02
Application #
8642529
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-F02A-J (20))
Program Officer
Babecki, Beth
Project Start
2013-03-19
Project End
2015-03-18
Budget Start
2014-03-19
Budget End
2015-03-18
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2014
Total Cost
$37,029
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Nebraska Lincoln
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
555456995
City
Lincoln
State
NE
Country
United States
Zip Code
68583
Charntikov, Sergios; Pittenger, Steven T; Pudiak, Cindy M et al. (2018) The effect of N-acetylcysteine or bupropion on methamphetamine self-administration and methamphetamine-triggered reinstatement of female rats. Neuropharmacology 135:487-495
Charntikov, Sergios; Pittenger, Steven T; Swalve, Natashia et al. (2017) Double dissociation of the anterior and posterior dorsomedial caudate-putamen in the acquisition and expression of associative learning with the nicotine stimulus. Neuropharmacology 121:111-119
Charntikov, Sergios; Pittenger, Steven T; Thapa, Ishwor et al. (2015) Ibudilast reverses the decrease in the synaptic signaling protein phosphatidylethanolamine-binding protein 1 (PEBP1) produced by chronic methamphetamine intake in rats. Drug Alcohol Depend 152:15-23
Bevins, Rick A; Charntikov, Sergios (2015) We know very little about the subjective effects of drugs in females. ACS Chem Neurosci 6:359-61
Charntikov, Sergios; deWit, Nicole R; Bevins, Rick A (2014) Interoceptive conditioning with nicotine using extinction and re-extinction to assess stimulus similarity with bupropion. Neuropharmacology 86:181-91