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| author | Joseph J Gotto |
| title | Sniffing out the effects of nicotine on olfactory cortical neuron activity and odor preference |
| abstract | The olfactory tubercle (OT) is a lesser-studied cortical area that lies at the intersection of the brain's olfactory and
reward systems, effectively mediating processes of the two. As a component of the ventral striatum, the OT receives dense innervation from the ventral tegmental
area) and is associated with reward pathways. As part of the olfactory system, it receives information from the main olfactory bulb and piriform cortex. Although
there appears to be a possibility for an obvious association between processes of drug addiction and olfaction to take place in the OT, there is little empirical
research that has aimed to delineate the interplay between the two. In this study, two experiments were conducted to understanding the effects of acute and chronic
nicotine exposure on the neural systems of olfaction and reward that intersect within the OT. In experiment 1, electrophysiological recordings were conducted in
the OTs of adult Sprague-Dawley rats while a sequence of 12 monomolecular odorants were repeatedly presented. Additionally, a dose of intracerebroventricular 5
μg/0.5 μl nicotine ditartrate was administered halfway through the session. Results show that acute nicotine infusion can potentially have excitatory or
inhibitory effects on neuronal firing rate. Furthermore, nicotine may selectively alter the rate of odor-elicited activity. These findings provide new information
on the role of the OT in processes of both nicotine addiction and olfaction. Experiment 2 aimed to assess the effect of a conditioned odorant paired with
mecamylamine-precipitated nicotine withdrawal on odor preference as assayed on a custom-built olfactory hole-board apparatus. Although these results were
inconclusive, there still remains an opportunity for drug-withdrawal associated cues to perpetuate drug-seeking and drug-taking behavior. |
| school | The College of Liberal Arts, Drew University |
| degree | B.A. (2017) |
| advisor | Graham Cousens |
| committee | Minjoon Kouh
Christopher Medvecky |
| full text | JJGotto.pdf |
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