Nicotine and Gene Expression in Adolescent Brain

University Of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison WI

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Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Adolescence is a particularly vulnerable period in development that is marked by an increase in novelty-seeking and risk-taking behaviors. Although beneficial in encouraging exploration and experimentation as adolescents prepare for life in an adult world, these behaviors may also contribute to the high incidence of smoking in the adolescent population. Since regions of the brain like the prefrontal cortex, which are important for emotional regulation and behavioral control, continue to develop throughout this period, it is likely that an immature brain contributes to the problem of nicotine addiction in the adolescent population. Because of the difficulty in examining nicotine addiction in human adolescents, the rodent model has become a powerful tool for examining the behavioral and molecular underpinnings of the adolescent response to nicotine. Using this model, we have begun to identify genes in the adolescent prefrontal cortex that are differentially expressed compared to the adult following acute nicotine treatment. We have also found that, unlike adults, adolescents do not condition to a nicotine-paired environment. The focus of this proposal is to further examine the molecular substrates involved in the development of the prefrontal cortex and to determine the influence of nicotine on these substrates. In addition, the influence of stress on nicotine-paired conditioning in adolescents will be performed. Insights into the molecular and behavioral components that differ between adolescent and adult brain, and an understanding of how these differences relate to addiction and craving, may lead to more effective interventions.