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Alpha6 Beta2 Subunit Containing Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Contributions To Abuse-Related Effects Of Nicotine And Alcohol, Alexandra M. Stafford
Alpha6 Beta2 Subunit Containing Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Contributions To Abuse-Related Effects Of Nicotine And Alcohol, Alexandra M. Stafford
Theses and Dissertations
Pharmacotherapies for tobacco and alcohol cessation are only modestly successful, so it is important to better understand mechanisms underlying their use and abuse. The overarching goal of this research is to assess a6b2 subunit containing nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (a6b2*nAChR; *denotes possible assembly with other subunits) contributions to abuse-related effects of nicotine and alcohol. In the absence of a6b2*nAChR-selective agonists, a6b2*nAChR gain-of-function (a6L9’S) mice provide a tool for selective activation of a6b2*nAChRs. Using the a6L9’S mice together with nicotine doses sub-threshold for stimulation of native nAChRs, these studies tested the hypothesis that activation of a6b2*nAChRs is sufficient to promote neurochemical and …