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Full-Text Articles in Pharmacology
Planarians Require An Intact Brain To Behaviorally React To Cocaine, But Not To React To Nicotine, Oné R. Pagán, Sean Deats, Debra Baker, Erica Montgomery, Galia Wilk, Matthew Tenaglia, Joshua Semon
Planarians Require An Intact Brain To Behaviorally React To Cocaine, But Not To React To Nicotine, Oné R. Pagán, Sean Deats, Debra Baker, Erica Montgomery, Galia Wilk, Matthew Tenaglia, Joshua Semon
Biology Faculty Publications
Planarians possess a rudimentary brain with many features in common with vertebrate brains. They also display a remarkable capacity for tissue regeneration including the complete regeneration of the nervous system. Using the induction of planarian seizure-like movements (pSLMs) as a behavioral endpoint, we demonstrate that an intact nervous system is necessary for this organism to react to cocaine exposure, but not necessary to react to nicotine administration. Decapitated planarians (Girardia tigrina) display pSLMs indistinguishable from intact worms when exposed to nicotine, but cocaine-induced pSLMs are reduced by about 95% upon decapitation. Decapitated worms recover their normal sensitivity to cocaine within …