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"Neurobehavioral
Correlates of Nicotine Withdrawal in Adult versus Adolescent Rats" Much research has demonstrated that vulnerability to nicotine addiction is increased in individuals who begin smoking in adolescence; however, the neural basis for this phenomenon is unknown. One hypothesis regarding the rapid development of dependence in adolescent smokers is that the negative effects of nicotine withdrawal are dampened during adolescence. Support for this hypothesis comes from our recent finding that adolescent rats display less somatic and affective signs of nicotine withdrawal relative to their adult counterparts (O'Dell et al. 2004). The student supported by this proposal will further these findings by comparing the neural and behavioral correlates of nicotine withdrawal in adult and adolescent rats. Recent work using has observed that rats exhibiting overt signs of nicotine withdrawal display decreased levels of dopamine (DA) and increased levels of acetylcholine (ACh) in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc). Therefore, the first part of this proposal will use in vivo microdialysis to compare these neurochemical "markers" of nicotine withdrawal in adult and adolescent rats. The second part of the study will use the conditioned place aversion (CPA) paradigm to compare whether adult or adolescent nicotine-dependent rats display an aversion for an environment where they repeatedly experienced nicotine withdrawal. The overall hypothesis of this proposal is that adolescent rats are less sensitive to nicotine withdrawal, and therefore will not display the decreases in DA and increases in ACh in the NAcc that are expected from adult rats experiencing nicotine withdrawal. It is also expected that adolescent rats will not display CPA produced by nicotine withdrawal in adult rats. This project will further the research program of the mentor by proving a neural and behavioral basis for developmental sensitivity to nicotine withdrawal that will be pursed in future projects. The student will also gain several important scientific, writing, and presentation skills that will serve in their future career endeavors.
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