title: The effects of pre- and post-natal nicotine exposure and genetic background on the striatum and behavioral phenotypes in the mouse.
abstract: Maternal tobacco use increases the risk of complications in pregnancy and also the risk of adverse fetal outcomes. Studies have established nicotine as the principal component of tobacco smoke that leads to the majority of negative reproductive outcomes associated with maternal tobacco use. It appears the neuroteratogenicity of nicotine is mediated by complex gene-environment interactions. Genetic background contributes to individual differences in nicotine-related phenotypes. The aim of the current study was to investigate the interaction between pre- and post-natal nicotine exposure and genetic background on the histology of the striatum and behavioral measures using DBA/2J (D2) and C57BL/6J (B6) inbred mice. Alterations in neuronal cell populations, striatal brain volume, and behavior - open field (OF) activity, novel object recognition (NOR), elevated plus maze (EPM), and passive avoidance (PA) - were evaluated on post-natal day (PN) 24 and PN75. Histological data showed that pre- and post-natal nicotine exposure resulted in decreased striatal volume among preadolescent B6 and reduced neuronal number within the striatum of preadolescent B6 mice. Behavioral data showed that pre- and post-natal nicotine exposure promoted hyperactivity in D2 female mice and disrupted NOR and PA memory. Specifically, NOR deficits were significant amongst adult male mice whereas PA deficits were seen across genetic background and sex. These data suggest that nicotine treatment, genetic background, developmental stage, and sex effect striatal morphology can lead to neurobehavioral alterations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, University of British Columbia, 950 W. 28th Ave, Vancouver, BC, Canada V5Z 4H4; Centre for Molecular Medicine & Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, 950 W. 28th Ave, Vancouver, BC, Canada V5Z 4H4; Child and Family Research Institute, University of British Columbia, 950 W. 28th Ave, Vancouver, BC, Canada V5Z 4H4.
authors.forename: Georgia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Balsevich
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, 950 W. 28th Ave, Vancouver, BC, Canada V5Z 4H4; Centre for Molecular Medicine & Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, 950 W. 28th Ave, Vancouver, BC, Canada V5Z 4H4; Child and Family Research Institute, University of British Columbia, 950 W. 28th Ave, Vancouver, BC, Canada V5Z 4H4.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Poon
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, 950 W. 28th Ave, Vancouver, BC, Canada V5Z 4H4; Centre for Molecular Medicine & Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, 950 W. 28th Ave, Vancouver, BC, Canada V5Z 4H4; Child and Family Research Institute, University of British Columbia, 950 W. 28th Ave, Vancouver, BC, Canada V5Z 4H4.
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Goldowitz
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, 950 W. 28th Ave, Vancouver, BC, Canada V5Z 4H4; Centre for Molecular Medicine & Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, 950 W. 28th Ave, Vancouver, BC, Canada V5Z 4H4; Child and Family Research Institute, University of British Columbia, 950 W. 28th Ave, Vancouver, BC, Canada V5Z 4H4. Electronic address: jennifer.wilking@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Jennifer A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Wilking
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D002452:Cell Count; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000473:pathology*; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D008811:Mice, Inbred DBA; D009538:Nicotine / Q000633:toxicity*; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists / Q000633:toxicity*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology; D021641:Recognition, Psychology; D012737:Sex Factors
chemical_list: D019394:Ki-67 Antigen; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists; D009538:Nicotine
keywords: Behavior; Genetic background; Nicotine; Prenatal; Sex; Striatum