Sex differences in nicotine-enhanced Pavlovian conditioned approach in rats

• DOI: 10.1186/s13293-019-0244-8
• Publication Date: 2019-07-17T13:02:38Z
• Authors: Sierra J. Stringf...; Aric C. Madayag; Charlotte A. Boet...; Donita L. Robinson
• Keywords: Incentive salience; Conditioned place preference; Basolateral amygdala; Orbitofrontal cortex

Nicotine exposure enhances Pavlovian conditioned approach (PCA), or the learned to reward-predictive cues. While females show elevated stimuli compared males, potentially indicating heightened addiction vulnerability, it is unknown how sex may interact with nicotine influence behavior. Additionally, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels can be altered significantly after repeated exposure, suggesting a potential mechanism contributing nicotine-induced behavioral phenotypes. The present study investigated role of on changes stimulus-response behavior and associated BDNF protein levels. Male female rats were exposed (0.4 mg/kg, subcutaneously) saline 15 min prior each PCA session. training consisted 29 sessions trials, in which 30-s cue presentation ended concurrently sucrose reward (20% w/v water, 100 μL), 120-s variable intertrial interval occurred between trials. Approach receptacle was recorded. Preference toward indicated goal-tracking phenotype, preference sign-tracking demonstrating that had gained incentive salience. Twenty-four hours last session, brain tissue collected measured basolateral amygdala, orbitofrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens using Western blot analysis. enhanced both sign- approach, showed males. There no sex-by-drug interactions approach. Day-to-day variability similar sexes. In contrast studies, neither nor affected expression. Drug-naïve exhibited similarly males females. Further, non-significant expression regions highly indicate unlikely drive nicotine-enhanced