Modulation of hippocampus-dependent learning and synaptic plasticity by nicotine.

Full Abstract

A long-standing relationship between nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) and cognition exists. Drugs that act at nAChRs can have cognitive-enhancing effects and diseases that disrupt cognition such as Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia are associated with altered nAChR function. Specifically, hippocampus-dependent learning is particularly sensitive to the effects of nicotine. However, the effects of nicotine on hippocampus-dependent learning vary not only with the doses of nicotine used and whether nicotine is administered acutely, chronically, or withdrawn after chronic nicotine treatment but also vary across different hippocampus-dependent tasks such as the Morris water maze, the radial arm maze, and contextual fear conditioning. In addition, nicotine has variable effects across different types of hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP). Because different types of hippocampus-dependent learning and LTP involve different neural and molecular substrates, comparing the effects of nicotine across these paradigms can yield insights into the mechanisms that may underlie the effects of nicotine on learning and memory and aid in understanding the variable effects of nicotine on cognitive processes. This review compares and contrasts the effects of nicotine on hippocampus-dependent learning and LTP and briefly discusses how the effects of nicotine on learning could contribute to nicotine addiction.

Author information

Author/s: Kenney, Justin W (JW); Gould, Thomas J (TJ);

Affiliation: Department of Psychology, Center for Substance Abuse Research, Weiss Hall, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA.

Grants: AA015515 (Agency:NIAAA NIH HHS) ; DA017949 (Agency:NIDA NIH HHS) ; DA07237 (Agency:NIDA NIH HHS) ; R01 DA017949-01A2 (Agency:NIDA NIH HHS) ; R03 AA015515-01A1 (Agency:NIAAA NIH HHS)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural; Review

Journal: Molecular neurobiology (Mol Neurobiol), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2008-Aug; vol 38 (issue 1) : pp 101-21

Dates: Created 2008/08/18; Completed 2008/10/15; Revised 2009/05/20;

PMID: 18690555, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 5/21/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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