title: The effect of postretrieval extinction of nicotine pavlovian memories in rats trained to self-administer nicotine.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Retrieval (reactivation) of smoking-related memories is a potent trigger of relapse among ex-smokers, and manipulation of smoking-related memories is considered to be a promising target for therapeutic intervention. Recent studies have shown that postreactivation extinction attenuates drug-related memories and relapse to drug-seeking both in rodents and in humans. We investigated the effect of postreactivation extinction in a rat model of relapse to nicotine-seeking.
  
  
  METHODS
  Rats were trained to self-administer nicotine in context A (CxA). Pressing the active lever resulted in the nicotine infusion paired with a cue-light (CS). Nicotine-related Pavlovian memories were then reactivated via presentation of 3 non-contingent CS. We then extinguished nicotine-related memories in a distinct context (CxB) followed 24hr later by the assessment of renewal of responding in CxA.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Postreactivation extinction, applied 1 but not 6hr after reactivation, induced a significant reduction of the rate of responding on renewal compared to responding during nicotine self-administration, whereas no such effect of CS-Extinction was observed in No-Reactivation group. However, between-group comparisons of responding during renewal did not show any significant difference.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Current results show that the reactivation of nicotine-related Pavlovian memories may reduce the effect of renewal to exert nicotine-seeking. However, it appears that this effect is small in size and is not significantly different from CS-Extinction alone.
authors.affiliation: Neuropsychopharmacology Laboratory, Section of Pharmacology, Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Auber
authors.affiliation: Neuropsychopharmacology Laboratory, Section of Pharmacology, Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Nazeema Sheerin
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Muthu Karuppasamy
authors.affiliation: Neuropsychopharmacology Laboratory, Section of Pharmacology, Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pedercini
authors.affiliation: Neuropsychopharmacology Laboratory, Section of Pharmacology, Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Daniele
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bertoglio
authors.affiliation: Neuropsychopharmacology Laboratory, Section of Pharmacology, Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Tedesco
authors.affiliation: Neuropsychopharmacology Laboratory, Section of Pharmacology, Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy cristiano.chiamulera@univr.it.
authors.forename: Cristiano
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chiamulera
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003216:Conditioning, Operant / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D005108:Extinction, Psychological / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D009538:Nicotine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012646:Self Administration
chemical_list: D009538:Nicotine