Faculty Mentor
David Daberkow
Presentation Type
Poster
Primary Discipline of Presentation
Biology
Abstract
Nicotine influences dopamine (DA) release in the nucleus accumbens, a brain region associated with reward processing and addiction. This study examined nicotine’s effects on DA signaling using fast-scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV) in anesthetized rats. Electrodes were implanted to stimulate DA release in the medial forebrain bundle and record signals in the ventral striatum. After administering saline or nicotine, DA levels were monitored in real-time, and electrode placement was later verified through histological analysis. Saline-treated rats showed minor DA fluctuations, with a peak signal detected at 50 minutes, while technical difficulties prevented complete nicotine data collection. However, previous experiments indicated significantly lower DA levels in nicotine-treated rats compared to controls, suggesting that nicotine suppresses DA release. Histological findings showed a lack of electrode-induced lesions in some cases, which may have led to inconsistent data. These results support existing research indicating that nicotine affects DA differently from psychostimulants, which typically increase extracellular DA levels. This study underscores the necessity of precise electrode placement for reliable FSCV measurements and highlights the need for further investigation into nicotine’s role in DA modulation.
Recommended Citation
Sretenovic, Dominik; Marsh, Kyle A.; Mulch, Sabin; Schaff, Gahnan; Jones, Anthony; Bains, Sukhman; and Daberkow, David, "Effects of Nicotine on Dopamine Signaling in Sprague Dawley Rats" (2025). 2025 Symposium. 9.
https://dc.ewu.edu/srcw_2025/works_2025/works_2025/9
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Effects of Nicotine on Dopamine Signaling in Sprague Dawley Rats
Nicotine influences dopamine (DA) release in the nucleus accumbens, a brain region associated with reward processing and addiction. This study examined nicotine’s effects on DA signaling using fast-scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV) in anesthetized rats. Electrodes were implanted to stimulate DA release in the medial forebrain bundle and record signals in the ventral striatum. After administering saline or nicotine, DA levels were monitored in real-time, and electrode placement was later verified through histological analysis. Saline-treated rats showed minor DA fluctuations, with a peak signal detected at 50 minutes, while technical difficulties prevented complete nicotine data collection. However, previous experiments indicated significantly lower DA levels in nicotine-treated rats compared to controls, suggesting that nicotine suppresses DA release. Histological findings showed a lack of electrode-induced lesions in some cases, which may have led to inconsistent data. These results support existing research indicating that nicotine affects DA differently from psychostimulants, which typically increase extracellular DA levels. This study underscores the necessity of precise electrode placement for reliable FSCV measurements and highlights the need for further investigation into nicotine’s role in DA modulation.
