These tools will no longer be maintained as of December 31, 2024. Archived website can be found here. PubMed4Hh GitHub repository can be found here. Contact NLM Customer Service if you have questions.


PUBMED FOR HANDHELDS

Search MEDLINE/PubMed


  • Title: Modulatory effects of the basolateral amygdala α2-adrenoceptors on nicotine-induced anxiogenic-like behaviours of rats in the elevated plus maze.
    Author: Bashiri H, Rezayof A, Sahebgharani M, Tavangar SM, Zarrindast MR.
    Journal: Neuropharmacology; 2016 Jun; 105():478-486. PubMed ID: 26878830.
    Abstract:
    The present study was designed to clarify whether α2-adrenoceptors of the basolateral amygdala (BLA) are involved in nicotine-induced anxiogenic-like behaviours. Adult male Wistar rats were bilaterally cannulated in the BLA and anxiety-like behaviours were assessed in an elevated plus maze (EPM) task. Systemic intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of nicotine (0.3, 0.5 and 0.7 mg/kg) dose-dependently decreased open arm time (%OAT) and open arm entry (%OAE), indicating the anxiogenic-like effect of nicotine. The activation of the BLA α2-adrenoceptors by the injection of α2-receptor agonist, clonidine (0.1, 0.3 and 0.5 μg/rat) into the BLA (intra-BLA) reversed nicotine-induced anxiogenic-like behaviours. It is important to note that intra-BLA injection of a higher dose of clonidine (0.5 μg/rat) by itself increased %OAT, but not %OAE which showed an anxiolytic effect of the agonist. On the other hand, intra-BLA injection of different doses of α2-adrenoceptor antagonist, yohimbine (1, 3 and 5 μg/rat) in combination with an ineffective dose of nicotine (0.3 mg/kg) decreased %OAT and %OAE, suggesting a potentiative effect of the antagonist on nicotine response. In addition, intra-BLA injection of the same doses of yohimbine did not alter %OAT and %OAE. Interestingly, intra-BLA injection of yohimbine (0.5 and 1 μg/rat) significantly reversed the inhibitory effect of clonidine on nicotine-induced anxiogenic-like behaviours. It should be considered that the drug treatments had no effect on locomotor activity in all experiments. Taken together, it can be concluded that nicotine produces anxiogenic-like behaviours which may be mediated through the BLA α2-adrenoceptor mechanism.
    [Abstract] [Full Text] [Related] [New Search]