Medial prefrontal cortex is involved in the discriminative stimulus effects of nicotine in rats.
BACKGROUND
Central nicotinic receptors have been reported to be involved in the discriminative stimulus (DS) effects of nicotine.


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of the present study was to investigate the role of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and the medial habenular nucleus (mHb) in the DS effects of nicotine.


METHODS
Substitution tests with nicotine administered into mPFC and mHb were conducted in rats trained to discriminate nicotine (0.5 mg/kg, SC) from saline in a two-lever, food reinforced, operant task.


RESULTS
Nicotine (40 microg) administered into mPFC substituted for nicotine (0.5 mg/kg, SC), whereas nicotine administered into mHb did not.


CONCLUSIONS
Together with our previous study indicating that the nucleus accumbens and the ventral tegmental area are partially involved in the DS effects of nicotine, the present study suggests that mPFC is primarily involved in the DS effects of nicotine.
Miyata
H
H
Department of Psychiatry, Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Ando
K
K
Yanagita
T
T
D000818:Animals; D004193:Discrimination Learning / Q000187:drug effects*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D019262:Habenula / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D009538:Nicotine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
D009538:Nicotine