Developmental Exposure to Nicotine

描述：(由申请人提供)这是一份R21申请，旨在探索 一种研究亲代和青春期影响的动物模型的建立 接触尼古丁。尼古丁仍然是全世界滥用的一种重要药物。在……里面 在美国，烟草使用是唯一可以预防的主要原因 对死亡的恐惧。然而，尽管有相当多的负面宣传和健康警告， 大约25%的美国人口仍然吸烟。除了 在成年机体中产生深刻的行为影响，尼古丁还 扰乱许多物种的发育过程。最近的流行病学数据 提示胎儿接触尼古丁会增加吸烟的风险 在青春期和成年期，尤其是女性。此外，75 百分之百的成年烟草使用者报告他们的第一次烟草使用发生在 他们是“青少年”(童年或青春期)。为了研究这一问题， 此外，还开发了一个动物模型来阐明潜在的 潜在的机制，怀孕期间尼古丁暴露对 成年雄性和雌性大鼠子代的尼古丁自我给药将是 学习。此外，尼古丁暴露的影响在 青春期对成年子代尼古丁自我给药的影响 被确定了。据推测，在子宫内接触尼古丁将 增加成年后代的尼古丁自我给药。同样， 青春期前接触尼古丁也会增加尼古丁 成年后的自我管理。拟议中的研究将以 吸烟关键期与尼古丁暴露之间的关系 发展与获取、维持、消亡和重新启动 尼古丁自我给药的阶段。这些实验的结果应该是 提供关于先前尼古丁之间关系的新的和重要的见解 暴露和寻求尼古丁的行为。此外，由于尼古丁是 被认为是随后使用酒精和其他药物的“门户”药物 非法药物，拟议研究的结果将为 进一步了解可能增加药物易感性的因素 上瘾一般，尤其是尼古丁滥用。

DESCRIPTION: (provided by applicant) This is an R21 application to explore the development of an animal model to study the effects of parental and peripuberal exposure to nicotine. Nicotine remains an important drug of abuse worldwide. In the United States (U.S.), tobacco use is the single leading preventable cause of death. However, despite considerable negative publicity and health warnings, approximately 25 percent of the U.S. population still smoke. Aside from producing profound behavioral effects in the adult organism, nicotine also disrupts developmental processes in many species. Recent epidemiologic data suggest that fetal exposure to nicotine increases the risk for tobacco use during adolescence and adulthood, particularly in females. In addition, 75 percent of adult tobacco users report their first tobacco use occurred when they were "youngsters" (childhood or adolescence). In order to study this issue further, as well as to develop an animal model to elucidate potential underlying mechanisms, the effects of nicotine exposure during gestation on nicotine self-administration in adult male and female rat offspring will be studied. In addition, the effects of nicotine exposure during the periadolescent period on nicotine self-administration in adult offspring will be ascertained. It is hypothesized that nicotine exposure in utero will increase nicotine self-administration in adult offspring. Similarly, peripuberal exposure to nicotine also will increase nicotine self-administration during adulthood. The proposed studies will characterize the relationships between exposure to nicotine during critical periods of development and the acquisition, maintenance, extinction and re-initiation phases of nicotine self-administration. The results of these experiments should provide new and important insights on the relationships between prior nicotine exposure and nicotine-seeking behavior. In addition, since nicotine is considered as a "gateway" drug for the subsequent use of alcohol and other illicit drugs, the results of the proposed studies will lay the groundwork to further understand the factors which might increase vulnerability to drug addictions in general, and to nicotine abuse, in particular.