title: The effects of smoking on whisker movements: A quantitative measure of exploratory behaviour in rodents.
abstract: Nicotine, an important component of cigarette smoke, is a neurotransmitter that contributes to stress, depression and anxiety in smokers. In rodents, it increases anxiety and reduces exploratory behaviours. However, so far, the measurements of exploratory behaviour in rodents have only been semi-quantitative and lacking in sufficient detail to characterise the temporal effect of smoking cessation. As rodents, such as mice and rats, primarily use whiskers to explore their environment, we studied the effect of 3 months smoking with 1 and 2 weeks smoking cessation on whisker movements in mice, using high-speed video camera footage and image analysis. Both protraction and retraction whisker velocities were increased in smoking mice (p<0.001) and returned to normal following just one week of smoking cessation. In addition, locomotion speeds were decreased in smoking mice, and returned to normal following smoking cessation. Lung function was also impacted by smoking and remained impaired even following smoking cessation. We suggest that the increased whisker velocities in the smoking mice reflect reduced exploration and impeded tactile performance. The increase in whisker velocity with smoking, and its reduction following smoking cessation, also lends support to acetylcholine being involved in awareness, attention and alertness pathways. It also shows that smoking-induced behavioural changes can be reversed with smoking cessation, which may have implications for human smokers.
authors.affiliation: Conservation, Evolution and Behaviour Research Group, Manchester Metropolitan University, Chester Street, Manchester UK; Neuromuscular and Skeletal Ageing Research Group, Manchester Metropolitan University, Chester Street, Manchester UK.
authors.forename: Robyn A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Grant
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Respiratory Diseases, Katholieke Universiteit-Leuven, Herestraat 49, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Nele
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cielen
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Respiratory Diseases, Katholieke Universiteit-Leuven, Herestraat 49, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Maes
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Respiratory Diseases, Katholieke Universiteit-Leuven, Herestraat 49, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Nele
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Heulens
authors.affiliation: Manchester University, Faculty of Medicine and Human Sciences, Core Technology Facility, 46 Grafton St, Manchester, UK.
authors.forename: Gina L J
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Galli
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Respiratory Diseases, Katholieke Universiteit-Leuven, Herestraat 49, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Wim
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Janssens
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Respiratory Diseases, Katholieke Universiteit-Leuven, Herestraat 49, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Ghislaine
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gayan-Ramirez
authors.affiliation: Neuromuscular and Skeletal Ageing Research Group, Manchester Metropolitan University, Chester Street, Manchester UK; Sports Science and Innovation Institute, Lithuanian Sports University, Kaunas, Lithuania. Electronic address: robyn.grant@mmu.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Degens
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000187:drug effects*; D008124:Locomotion / Q000187:drug effects*; D008170:Lung Compliance / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D016540:Smoking Cessation; D014738:Vibrissae / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D014741:Video Recording
keywords: Active sensing; Exploration; Mouse; Smoking; Velocity; Vibrissae