title: Nicotine blocks apomorphine-induced disruption of prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle in rats: possible involvement of central nicotinic alpha7 receptors.
abstract: Nicotine has been reported to normalize deficits in auditory sensory gating in the cases of schizophrenia, suggesting an involvement of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in attentional abnormalities. However, the mechanism remains unclear. The present study investigated the effects of nicotine on the disruption of prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic startle response induced by apomorphine or phencyclidine in rats. Over the dose range tested, nicotine (0.05-1 mg kg(-1), s.c.) did not disrupt PPI. Neither methyllycaconitine (0.5-5 mg kg(-1), s.c.), an alpha(7) nicotinic receptor antagonist, nor dihydro-beta-erythroidine (0.5-2 mg kg(-1), s.c.), an alpha(4)beta(2) nicotinic receptor antagonist, had any effect on PPI. Nicotine (0.01-0.2 mg kg(-1), s.c.) dose-dependently reversed the disruption of PPI induced by apomorphine (1 mg kg(-1), s.c.), but had no effect on the disruption of PPI induced by phencyclidine (2 mg kg(-1), s.c.). The reversal of apomorphine-induced PPI disruption by nicotine (0.2 mg kg(-1)) was eliminated by mecamylamine (1 mg kg(-1), i.p.), but not by hexamethonium (10 mg kg(-1), i.p.), indicating the involvement of central nicotinic receptors. The antagonistic action of nicotine on apomorphine-induced PPI disruption was dose-dependently blocked by methyllycaconitine (1 and 2 mg kg(-1), s.c.). However, dihydro-beta-erythroidine (1 and 2 mg kg(-1), s.c.) had no effect. These results suggest that nicotine reverses the disruption of apomorphine-induced PPI through central alpha(7) nicotinic receptors.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pharmacy, Ehime University Hospital, Shitsukawa, Shigenobu-cho, Onsen-gun, Ehime 791-0295, Japan. suemaru@m.ehime-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Katsuya
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Suemaru
authors.forename: Kayo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yasuda
authors.forename: Kenta
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Umeda
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Araki
authors.forename: Kazuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shibata
authors.forename: Tominari
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Choshi
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hibino
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gomita
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000818:Animals; D001058:Apomorphine / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000187:drug effects*; D003024:Clozapine / Q000494:pharmacology; D018491:Dopamine Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018492:Dopamine Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D006220:Haloperidol / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D009538:Nicotine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018733:Nicotinic Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D010622:Phencyclidine / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic / Q000187:drug effects*; D013216:Reflex, Startle / Q000187:drug effects*; D064569:alpha7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor
chemical_list: C579165:Chrna7 protein, rat; D018491:Dopamine Agonists; D018492:Dopamine Antagonists; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists; D018733:Nicotinic Antagonists; D011978:Receptors, Nicotinic; D064569:alpha7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor; D009538:Nicotine; D010622:Phencyclidine; D003024:Clozapine; D006220:Haloperidol; D001058:Apomorphine