Inhibition of alpha 7 nicotinic receptors in the prefrontal cortex impairs cocaine-induced conditioned place preference

VERONICA PASTOR; MARÍA EUGENIA PALLARÉS; VALERIA C SANABRIA; MARTA C ANTONELLI; FERNANDO CASTILLO DIAZ; JORGE H MEDINA

Ciudad de Córdoba

Congreso; XXXIII Congreso Anual de la Sociedad Argentina de Investigación en Neurociencias; 2018

Universidad Nacional de Córdoba

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) have critical roles in cognitive function including attention and memory and are key players in plasticity processes. Cocaine administration has been shown to induce plastic changes in PFC. However, whether nAChRs in the PFC are required for cocaine-associated memories and the underlying molecular mechanisms are still unknown. Conditioning place preference (CPP) is an animal model in which rats learn to associate the rewarding effects of a drug of abuse with the environmental context in which it is received. Here, we used behavioral pharmacology to assess the effect of intra-PFC methyllycaconitine, a specific antagonist of the α7 subtype of nAChRs, on the acquisition of cocaine-induced CPP in adult rats. We found that pharmacologic inhibition of α7 nAChRs in the PFC before conditioning impaired a 4-trial cocaine-induced CPP without altering acute locomotor response. We are now exploring the expression of molecular substrates for cocaine-associated memory on the mesolimbic circuit to shed light on signaling pathways related to our behavioral findings. In conclusion, our results suggest that α7 nAChRs in the PFC participate in the acquisition of cocaine CPP. Considering that drug seeking often depends on the association between drug-paired cues and the rewarding effects of the drug, α7 nAChRs in PFC could be considered as potential targets for the prevention of addictive behaviors.