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Alcohol Affects The Reward Pathway Of The Brain Via A6-Containing Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors In The Nucleus Accumbens, Elizabeth Qiufeng Anderson
Alcohol Affects The Reward Pathway Of The Brain Via A6-Containing Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors In The Nucleus Accumbens, Elizabeth Qiufeng Anderson
Theses and Dissertations
The prevailing view is that enhancement of dopamine (DA) transmission in the mesolimbic system consisting of DA neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) that project to the nucleus accumbens (NAc) underlies the rewarding properties of ethanol (EtOH) and nicotine (NIC). Although the dogma is that EtOH enhancement of DA neural activity contributes to enhancement of DA transmission, DA neurons are not sensitive to rewarding levels of EtOH. However, VTA GABA neurons are sensitive to low-dose EtOH. We have shown previously that EtOH modulation of DA release in the NAc is mediated by α6-containing nicotinic receptors (α6*-nAChRs), that α6*-nAChRs mediate …