Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2001 May;40(6):792-805.
doi: 10.1016/s0028-3908(01)00003-x.

Disruption of dopaminergic neurotransmission in nucleus accumbens core inhibits the locomotor stimulant effects of nicotine and D-amphetamine in rats

S M Boye  1 , R J Grant, P B Clarke
Affiliations

Disruption of dopaminergic neurotransmission in nucleus accumbens core inhibits the locomotor stimulant effects of nicotine and D-amphetamine in rats

S M Boye et al. Neuropharmacology. 2001 May.

Abstract

The locomotor stimulant effects of nicotine and amphetamine appear to be dependent on dopamine transmission in the nucleus accumbens. The present aim was to elucidate the contributions of the accumbens core and medial shell to these effects. In the first experiment, rats received bilateral intra-accumbens infusion of the dopaminergic antagonist eticlopride (or saline) prior to saline or nicotine (0.2 mg/kg s.c.) challenge. Eticlopride inhibited basal and nicotine-induced locomotor activity more effectively when infused into the core (0.0625--0.5 microg/side) than into the medial shell (0.5--1 microg/side). In a second experiment, rats received 6-hydroxydopamine infused into the core or medial shell, and were subsequently tested with saline, nicotine (0.2 mg/kg s.c.) and D-amphetamine (0.75 mg/kg s.c.). Residual dopaminergic innervation was assessed by autoradiographic [(125)I]RTI-55 labelling of the dopamine transporter. [(125)I]RTI-55 labelling in the accumbens core was positively correlated with the locomotor stimulant effects of both nicotine and D-amphetamine. In contrast, [(125)I]RTI-55 labelling in the medial shell was associated negatively with amphetamine-induced activity. Recent evidence suggests that dopamine release in the medial shell may mediate the reinforcing effect of nicotine and D-amphetamine. In contrast, the present findings suggest that dopamine release in the core subregion contributes preferentially to the locomotor stimulant effects of nicotine and D-amphetamine.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources