Nicotine-induced CREB and DeltaFosB activity is modified by caffeine in the brain reward system of the rat

Publication date: March 2018 Source:Journal of Chemical Neuroanatomy, Volume 88 Author(s): Przemysław Kowiański, Grażyna Lietzau, Aleksandra Steliga, Ewelina Czuba, Beata Ludkiewicz, Monika Waśkow, Jan H. Spodnik, Janusz Moryś Coffee and nicotine consumption are frequently combined, indicating possible intensifying effect of caffeine on smoking behavior, although neurobiological background of this phenomenon remains unknown. We aimed at determining the effect of caffeine and nicotine, applied separately or simultaneously, on activation of six structures of the brain reward system: nucleus accumbens (NAc), ventral tegmental area (VTA), amygdala (Amg), hippocampus (Hip), medial prefrontal cortex (mPfr) and dorsal striatum (CdP) in the adult male Wistar rats. Activation of two transcription factors, the phosphorylated form of cyclic AMP-response element binding protein (pCREB) and DeltaFosB (ΔFosB) was assessed by immunohistochemistry after multiple-dose five-days psychostimulants administration followed by 20min and 24h survival, respectively. Nicotine evoked the highest increase of pCREB-immunoreactivity (-ir) in NAc, while caffeine exerted the weakest effect in mPfr and CdP. Nicotine/caffeine co-administration resulted in decrease of pCREB-ir in NAc and increase in Amg, compared with the effect of each psychostimulant used separately. Nicotine was the strongest psychostimulant activating ΔFosB-ir in Amg, whereas caffeine – in Hip. Nicotine/caffeine-exerted ...
Source: Journal of Chemical Neuroanatomy - Category: Neuroscience Source Type: research