Abstract
Addiction to tobacco smoking is a deadly disease that consumes millions of lives each year. However, the neurobiology underlying the disease remains an enigma. One reason for this is the relative complexity of nicotine’s effects on the brain, with a multitude of targets throughout many different brain regions, each subserving individual components of the disease. Still, a handful of brain circuits mediate particularly significant roles in the disease. The epithalamic habenulo-interpeduncular (Hb-IPN) pathway participates in the aversive aspects of nicotine dependence, including the aversive experience of nicotine withdrawal. Many hypotheses regarding the exact mechanisms for these behavioral roles exist, but the convergent feature of those hypotheses is that nicotine acts at populations of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) across the brain, including the Hb-IPN pathway. Of note, the Hb-IPN pathway is one of the brain regions with the highest density of nAChRs, including both heteromeric (e.g., α3β4 and α4β2) and homomeric (i.e., α7) receptors. As nAChR subtypes that subserve multiple aspects of affective and reinforcement behaviors are expressed along this pathway, it is of no surprise that the Hb-IPN pathway participates in similar affective behaviors. This chapter will discuss the roles of nAChRs along the Hb-IPN in aversive nicotine-associated behaviors, as well as touch upon the innate roles of those populations of nAChRs over biology and behavior in healthy animals.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Vineis P, Alavanja M, Buffler P, et al. Tobacco and cancer: recent epidemiological evidence. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2004;96(2):99–106.
Kenfield SA, Stampfer MJ, Rosner BA, Colditz GA. Smoking and smoking cessation in relation to mortality in women. JAMA. 2008;299(17):2037–47.
Benowitz NL. Pharmacology of nicotine: addiction, smoking-induced disease, and therapeutics. Annu Rev Pharmacol Toxicol. 2009;49:57–71.
Tonini G, D’Onofrio L, Dell’Aquila E, Pezzuto A. New molecular insights in tobacco-induced lung cancer. Future Oncol. 2013;9(5):649–55.
Giovino GA, Mirza SA, Samet JM, et al. Tobacco use in 3 billion individuals from 16 countries: an analysis of nationally representative cross-sectional household surveys. Lancet. 2012;380(9842):668–79.
Kabir MA, Goh KL, Khan MH. A cross-country comparison of tobacco consumption among youths from selected South-Asian countries. BMC Public Health. 2013;13(1):379.
Dani JA, Bertrand D. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and nicotinic cholinergic mechanisms of the central nervous system. Annu Rev Pharmacol Toxicol. 2007;47:699–729.
Mansvelder HD, McGehee DS. Cellular and synaptic mechanisms of nicotine addiction. J Neurobiol. 2002;53(4):606–17.
De Biasi M, Dani JA. Reward, addiction, withdrawal to nicotine. Annu Rev Neurosci. 2011;34:105–30.
Piasecki TM, Jorenby DE, Smith SS, Fiore MC, Baker TB. Smoking withdrawal dynamics: I. Abstinence distress in lapsers and abstainers. J Abnorm Psychol. 2003;112(1):3–13.
Hughes JR. Effects of abstinence from tobacco: valid symptoms and time course. Nicotine Tob Res. 2007;9(3):315–27.
al’Absi M, Amunrud T, Wittmers LE. Psychophysiological effects of nicotine abstinence and behavioral challenges in habitual smokers. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2002;72(3):707–16.
Swan GE, Ward MM, Jack LM. Abstinence effects as predictors of 28-day relapse in smokers. Addict Behav. 1996;21(4):481–90.
De Biasi M, Salas R. Influence of neuronal nicotinic receptors over nicotine addiction and withdrawal. Exp Biol Med (Maywood). 2008;233(8):917–29.
Drenan RM, Lester HA. Insights into the neurobiology of the nicotinic cholinergic system and nicotine addiction from mice expressing nicotinic receptors harboring gain-of-function mutations. Pharmacol Rev. 2012;64(4):869–79.
Jasinska AJ, Zorick T, Brody AL, Stein EA. Dual role of nicotine in addiction and cognition: a review of neuroimaging studies in humans. Neuropharmacology. 2014;84C:111–22.
Role LW, Berg DK. Nicotinic receptors in the development and modulation of CNS synapses. Neuron. 1996;16(6):1077–85.
Picciotto MR, Mineur YS. Molecules and circuits involved in nicotine addiction: the many faces of smoking. Neuropharmacology. 2014;76:543–53.
McGehee DS, Role LW. Physiological diversity of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors expressed by vertebrate neurons. Annu Rev Physiol. 1995;57:521–46.
Alkondon M, Pereira EF, Barbosa CT, Albuquerque EX. Neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor activation modulates gamma-aminobutyric acid release from CA1 neurons of rat hippocampal slices. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1997;283(3):1396–411.
Tomizawa M, Casida JE. Structure and diversity of insect nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Pest Manag Sci. 2001;57(10):914–22.
Kent WJ, Sugnet CW, Furey TS, et al. The human genome browser at UCSC. Genome Res. 2002;12(6):996–1006.
Meyer LR, Zweig AS, Hinrichs AS, et al. The UCSC Genome Browser database: extensions and updates 2013. Nucleic Acids Res. 2013;41(Database issue):D64–9.
Nelson ME, Lindstrom J. Single channel properties of human alpha3 AChRs: impact of beta2, beta4 and alpha5 subunits. J Physiol. 1999;516(Pt 3):657–78.
Peng X, Gerzanich V, Anand R, Wang F, Lindstrom J. Chronic nicotine treatment up-regulates alpha3 and alpha7 acetylcholine receptor subtypes expressed by the human neuroblastoma cell line SH-SY5Y. Mol Pharmacol. 1997;51(5):776–84.
Tapia L, Kuryatov A, Lindstrom J. Ca2+ permeability of the (alpha4)3(beta2)2 stoichiometry greatly exceeds that of (alpha4)2(beta2)3 human acetylcholine receptors. Mol Pharmacol. 2007;71(3):769–76.
Wang F, Gerzanich V, Wells GB, et al. Assembly of human neuronal nicotinic receptor alpha5 subunits with alpha3, beta2, and beta4 subunits. J Biol Chem. 1996;271(30):17656–65.
Gerzanich V, Wang F, Kuryatov A, Lindstrom J. alpha 5 Subunit alters desensitization, pharmacology, Ca++ permeability and Ca++ modulation of human neuronal alpha 3 nicotinic receptors. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1998;286(1):311–20.
Kuryatov A, Berrettini W, Lindstrom J. Acetylcholine receptor (AChR) alpha5 subunit variant associated with risk for nicotine dependence and lung cancer reduces (alpha4beta2)(2)alpha5 AChR function. Mol Pharmacol. 2011;79(1):119–25.
Albuquerque EX, Pereira EF, Alkondon M, Rogers SW. Mammalian nicotinic acetylcholine receptors: from structure to function. Physiol Rev. 2009;89(1):73–120.
Woolf NJ. Cholinergic systems in mammalian brain and spinal cord. Prog Neurobiol. 1991;37(6):475–524.
Miwa JM, Freedman R, Lester HA. Neural systems governed by nicotinic acetylcholine receptors: emerging hypotheses. Neuron. 2011;70(1):20–33.
Sutherland RJ. The dorsal diencephalic conduction system: a review of the anatomy and functions of the habenular complex. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 1982;6(1):1–13.
Fowler CD, Lu Q, Johnson PM, Marks MJ, Kenny PJ. Habenular alpha5 nicotinic receptor subunit signalling controls nicotine intake. Nature. 2011;471(7340):597–601.
Salas R, Baldwin P, de Biasi M, Montague PR. BOLD responses to negative reward prediction errors in human habenula. Front Hum Neurosci. 2010;4:36.
Karlin A. Emerging structure of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2002;3(2):102–14.
Sine SM. The nicotinic receptor ligand binding domain. J Neurobiol. 2002;53(4):431–46.
Galzi JL, Devillers-Thiery A, Hussy N, Bertrand S, Changeux JP, Bertrand D. Mutations in the channel domain of a neuronal nicotinic receptor convert ion selectivity from cationic to anionic. Nature. 1992;359(6395):500–5.
Berridge MJ, Lipp P, Bootman MD. The versatility and universality of calcium signalling. Nat Rev Mol Cell Biol. 2000;1(1):11–21.
Bootman MD, Berridge MJ, Roderick HL. Calcium signalling: more messengers, more channels, more complexity. Curr Biol. 2002;12(16):R563–5.
Sudhof TC. Calcium control of neurotransmitter release. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol. 2012;4(1):a011353.
Ross WN. Understanding calcium waves and sparks in central neurons. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2012;13(3):157–68.
Seguela P, Wadiche J, Dineley-Miller K, Dani JA, Patrick JW. Molecular cloning, functional properties, and distribution of rat brain alpha 7: a nicotinic cation channel highly permeable to calcium. J Neurosci. 1993;13(2):596–604.
Bertrand D, Galzi JL, Devillers-Thiery A, Bertrand S, Changeux JP. Mutations at two distinct sites within the channel domain M2 alter calcium permeability of neuronal alpha 7 nicotinic receptor. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1993;90(15):6971–5.
Kuryatov A, Gerzanich V, Nelson M, Olale F, Lindstrom J. Mutation causing autosomal dominant nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy alters Ca2+ permeability, conductance, and gating of human alpha4beta2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. J Neurosci. 1997;17(23):9035–47.
Shen JX, Yakel JL. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor-mediated calcium signaling in the nervous system. Acta Pharmacol Sin. 2009;30(6):673–80.
McGehee DS, Heath MJ, Gelber S, Devay P, Role LW. Nicotine enhancement of fast excitatory synaptic transmission in CNS by presynaptic receptors. Science. 1995;269(5231):1692–6.
Garduno J, Galindo-Charles L, Jimenez-Rodriguez J, et al. Presynaptic alpha4beta2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors increase glutamate release and serotonin neuron excitability in the dorsal raphe nucleus. J Neurosci. 2012;32(43):15148–57.
Griguoli M, Scuri R, Ragozzino D, Cherubini E. Activation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors enhances a slow calcium-dependent potassium conductance and reduces the firing of stratum oriens interneurons. Eur J Neurosci. 2009;30(6):1011–22.
Ji D, Dani JA. Inhibition and disinhibition of pyramidal neurons by activation of nicotinic receptors on hippocampal interneurons. J Neurophysiol. 2000;83(5):2682–90.
Hu M, Liu QS, Chang KT, Berg DK. Nicotinic regulation of CREB activation in hippocampal neurons by glutamatergic and nonglutamatergic pathways. Mol Cell Neurosci. 2002;21(4):616–25.
McKay BE, Placzek AN, Dani JA. Regulation of synaptic transmission and plasticity by neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Biochem Pharmacol. 2007;74(8):1120–33.
Dani JA, Radcliffe KA, Pidoplichko VI. Variations in desensitization of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors from hippocampus and midbrain dopamine areas. Eur J Pharmacol. 2000;393(1–3):31–8.
Quick MW, Lester RA. Desensitization of neuronal nicotinic receptors. J Neurobiol. 2002;53(4):457–78.
Wooltorton JR, Pidoplichko VI, Broide RS, Dani JA. Differential desensitization and distribution of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subtypes in midbrain dopamine areas. J Neurosci. 2003;23(8):3176–85.
Giniatullin R, Nistri A, Yakel JL. Desensitization of nicotinic ACh receptors: sha** cholinergic signaling. Trends Neurosci. 2005;28(7):371–8.
Briggs CA, McKenna DG. Activation and inhibition of the human alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor by agonists. Neuropharmacology. 1998;37(9):1095–102.
Papke RL, Porter Papke JK. Comparative pharmacology of rat and human alpha7 nAChR conducted with net charge analysis. Br J Pharmacol. 2002;137(1):49–61.
Fenster CP, Rains MF, Noerager B, Quick MW, Lester RA. Influence of subunit composition on desensitization of neuronal acetylcholine receptors at low concentrations of nicotine. J Neurosci. 1997;17(15):5747–59.
Paradiso KG, Steinbach JH. Nicotine is highly effective at producing desensitization of rat alpha4beta2 neuronal nicotinic receptors. J Physiol. 2003;553(Pt 3):857–71.
Brody AL, Mandelkern MA, London ED, et al. Cigarette smoking saturates brain alpha 4 beta 2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2006;63(8):907–15.
Khiroug L, Giniatullin R, Sokolova E, Talantova M, Nistri A. Imaging of intracellular calcium during desensitization of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors of rat chromaffin cells. Br J Pharmacol. 1997;122(7):1323–32.
Khiroug L, Sokolova E, Giniatullin R, Afzalov R, Nistri A. Recovery from desensitization of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors of rat chromaffin cells is modulated by intracellular calcium through distinct second messengers. J Neurosci. 1998;18(7):2458–66.
Guo X, Lester RA. Regulation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor desensitization by Ca2+. J Neurophysiol. 2007;97(1):93–101.
Rezvani K, Teng Y, Shim D, De Biasi M. Nicotine regulates multiple synaptic proteins by inhibiting proteasomal activity. J Neurosci. 2007;27(39):10508–19.
Lester HA, **ao C, Srinivasan R, et al. Nicotine is a selective pharmacological chaperone of acetylcholine receptor number and stoichiometry. Implications for drug discovery. AAPS J. 2009;11(1):167–77.
Christianson JC, Green WN. Regulation of nicotinic receptor expression by the ubiquitin-proteasome system. EMBO J. 2004;23(21):4156–65.
Rezvani K, Teng Y, Pan Y, et al. UBXD4, a UBX-containing protein, regulates the cell surface number and stability of alpha3-containing nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. J Neurosci. 2009;29(21):6883–96.
Rezvani K, Teng Y, De Biasi M. The ubiquitin-proteasome system regulates the stability of neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. J Mol Neurosci. 2010;40(1–2):177–84.
Marks MJ, Pauly JR, Gross SD, et al. Nicotine binding and nicotinic receptor subunit RNA after chronic nicotine treatment. J Neurosci. 1992;12(7):2765–84.
Pauly JR, Marks MJ, Robinson SF, van de Kamp JL, Collins AC. Chronic nicotine and mecamylamine treatment increase brain nicotinic receptor binding without changing alpha 4 or beta 2 mRNA levels. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1996;278(1):361–9.
Vallejo YF, Buisson B, Bertrand D, Green WN. Chronic nicotine exposure upregulates nicotinic receptors by a novel mechanism. J Neurosci. 2005;25(23):5563–72.
Huang YY, Kandel ER, Levine A. Chronic nicotine exposure induces a long-lasting and pathway-specific facilitation of LTP in the amygdala. Learn Mem. 2008;15(8):603–10.
Aydin C, Oztan O, Isgor C. Nicotine-induced anxiety-like behavior in a rat model of the novelty-seeking phenotype is associated with long-lasting neuropeptidergic and neuroplastic adaptations in the amygdala: effects of the cannabinoid receptor 1 antagonist AM251. Neuropharmacology. 2012;63(8):1335–45.
Vezina P, McGehee DS, Green WN. Exposure to nicotine and sensitization of nicotine-induced behaviors. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2007;31(8):1625–38.
Buisson B, Vallejo YF, Green WN, Bertrand D. The unusual nature of epibatidine responses at the alpha4beta2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. Neuropharmacology. 2000;39(13):2561–9.
Buisson B, Bertrand D. Chronic exposure to nicotine upregulates the human (alpha)4(beta)2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor function. J Neurosci. 2001;21(6):1819–29.
Nashmi R, Dickinson ME, McKinney S, et al. Assembly of alpha4beta2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors assessed with functional fluorescently labeled subunits: effects of localization, trafficking, and nicotine-induced upregulation in clonal mammalian cells and in cultured midbrain neurons. J Neurosci. 2003;23(37):11554–67.
Alkondon M, Albuquerque EX. Nicotinic receptor subtypes in rat hippocampal slices are differentially sensitive to desensitization and early in vivo functional up-regulation by nicotine and to block by bupropion. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 2005;313(2):740–50.
Govind AP, Walsh H, Green WN. Nicotine-induced upregulation of native neuronal nicotinic receptors is caused by multiple mechanisms. J Neurosci. 2012;32(6):2227–38.
Benowitz NL. Nicotine addiction. N Engl J Med. 2010;362(24):2295–303.
American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 4th ed. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association; 2000. Text Revision.
Volkow ND, Fowler JS, Wang GJ, Goldstein RZ. Role of dopamine, the frontal cortex and memory circuits in drug addiction: insight from imaging studies. Neurobiol Learn Mem. 2002;78(3):610–24.
Hogle JM, Kaye JT, Curtin JJ. Nicotine withdrawal increases threat-induced anxiety but not fear: neuroadaptation in human addiction. Biol Psychiatry. 2010;68(8):719–25.
Buchhalter AR, Fant RV, Henningfield JE. Novel pharmacological approaches for treating tobacco dependence and withdrawal: current status. Drugs. 2008;68(8):1067–88.
Yamamoto KI, Domino EF. Cholinergic agonist-antagonist interactions on neocortical and limbic EEG activation. Int J Neuropharmacol. 1967;6(5):357–73.
Kadoya C, Domino EF, Matsuoka S. Relationship of electroencephalographic and cardiovascular changes to plasma nicotine levels in tobacco smokers. Clin Pharmacol Ther. 1994;55(4):370–7.
Hughes JR, Gust SW, Skoog K, Keenan RM, Fenwick JW. Symptoms of tobacco withdrawal. A replication and extension. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1991;48(1):52–9.
Kenny PJ, Markou A. Neurobiology of the nicotine withdrawal syndrome. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2001;70(4):531–49.
Malin DH, Lake JR, Newlin-Maultsby P, et al. Rodent model of nicotine abstinence syndrome. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 1992;43(3):779–84.
Malin DH, Lake JR, Carter VA, et al. The nicotinic antagonist mecamylamine precipitates nicotine abstinence syndrome in the rat. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 1994;115(1–2):180–4.
Salas R, Pieri F, De Biasi M. Decreased signs of nicotine withdrawal in mice null for the beta4 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunit. J Neurosci. 2004;24(45):10035–9.
Salas R, Sturm R, Boulter J, De Biasi M. Nicotinic receptors in the habenulo-interpeduncular system are necessary for nicotine withdrawal in mice. J Neurosci. 2009;29(10):3014–8.
Salas R, Orr-Urtreger A, Broide RS, Beaudet A, Paylor R, De Biasi M. The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunit alpha 5 mediates short-term effects of nicotine in vivo. Mol Pharmacol. 2003;63(5):1059–66.
Flores CM, DeCamp RM, Kilo S, Rogers SW, Hargreaves KM. Neuronal nicotinic receptor expression in sensory neurons of the rat trigeminal ganglion: demonstration of alpha3beta4, a novel subtype in the mammalian nervous system. J Neurosci. 1996;16(24):7892–901.
Salas R, Main A, Gangitano D, De Biasi M. Decreased withdrawal symptoms but normal tolerance to nicotine in mice null for the alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunit. Neuropharmacology. 2007;53(7):863–9.
Lotfipour S, Byun JS, Leach P, et al. Targeted deletion of the mouse alpha2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunit gene (Chrna2) potentiates nicotine-modulated behaviors. J Neurosci. 2013;33(18):7728–41.
Boulter J, O’Shea-Greenfield A, Duvoisin RM, et al. Alpha 3, alpha 5, and beta 4: three members of the rat neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor-related gene family form a gene cluster. J Biol Chem. 1990;265(8):4472–82.
Saccone SF, Hinrichs AL, Saccone NL, et al. Cholinergic nicotinic receptor genes implicated in a nicotine dependence association study targeting 348 candidate genes with 3713 SNPs. Hum Mol Genet. 2007;16(1):36–49.
Thorgeirsson TE, Geller F, Sulem P, et al. A variant associated with nicotine dependence, lung cancer and peripheral arterial disease. Nature. 2008;452(7187):638–42.
Amos CI, Wu X, Broderick P, et al. Genome-wide association scan of tag SNPs identifies a susceptibility locus for lung cancer at 15q25.1. Nat Genet. 2008;40(5):616–22.
Bierut LJ, Stitzel JA, Wang JC, et al. Variants in nicotinic receptors and risk for nicotine dependence. Am J Psychiatry. 2008;165(9):1163–71.
Stevens VL, Bierut LJ, Talbot JT, et al. Nicotinic receptor gene variants influence susceptibility to heavy smoking. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2008;17(12):3517–25.
Berrettini W, Yuan X, Tozzi F, et al. Alpha-5/alpha-3 nicotinic receptor subunit alleles increase risk for heavy smoking. Mol Psychiatry. 2008;13(4):368–73.
Berrettini WH, Doyle GA. The CHRNA5-A3-B4 gene cluster in nicotine addiction. Mol Psychiatry. 2012;17(9):856–66.
Weiss RB, Baker TB, Cannon DS, et al. A candidate gene approach identifies the CHRNA5-A3-B4 region as a risk factor for age-dependent nicotine addiction. PLoS Genet. 2008;4(7):e1000125.
Boulter J, Evans K, Goldman D, et al. Isolation of a cDNA clone coding for a possible neural nicotinic acetylcholine receptor alpha-subunit. Nature. 1986;319(6052):368–74.
Duvoisin RM, Deneris ES, Patrick J, Heinemann S. The functional diversity of the neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors is increased by a novel subunit: beta 4. Neuron. 1989;3(4):487–96.
Wada E, McKinnon D, Heinemann S, Patrick J, Swanson LW. The distribution of mRNA encoded by a new member of the neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptor gene family (alpha 5) in the rat central nervous system. Brain Res. 1990;526(1):45–53.
Sheffield EB, Quick MW, Lester RA. Nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunit mRNA expression and channel function in medial habenula neurons. Neuropharmacology. 2000;39(13):2591–603.
Gahring LC, Persiyanov K, Rogers SW. Neuronal and astrocyte expression of nicotinic receptor subunit beta4 in the adult mouse brain. J Comp Neurol. 2004;468(3):322–33.
Matsumoto M, Hikosaka O. Lateral habenula as a source of negative reward signals in dopamine neurons. Nature. 2007;447(7148):1111–5.
Matsumoto M, Hikosaka O. Negative motivational control of saccadic eye movement by the lateral habenula. Prog Brain Res. 2008;171:399–402.
Matsumoto M, Hikosaka O. Representation of negative motivational value in the primate lateral habenula. Nat Neurosci. 2009;12(1):77–84.
Bromberg-Martin ES, Hikosaka O. Lateral habenula neurons signal errors in the prediction of reward information. Nat Neurosci. 2011;14(9):1209–16.
Frahm S, Slimak MA, Ferrarese L, et al. Aversion to nicotine is regulated by the balanced activity of beta4 and alpha5 nicotinic receptor subunits in the medial habenula. Neuron. 2011;70(3):522–35.
Yamaguchi T, Danjo T, Pastan I, Hikida T, Nakanishi S. Distinct roles of segregated transmission of the septo-habenular pathway in anxiety and fear. Neuron. 2013;78(3):537–44.
Paterson NE, Markou A. Animal models and treatments for addiction and depression co-morbidity. Neurotox Res. 2007;11(1):1–32.
Ep**-Jordan MP, Watkins SS, Koob GF, Markou A. Dramatic decreases in brain reward function during nicotine withdrawal. Nature. 1998;393(6680):76–9.
Harrison AA, Liem YT, Markou A. Fluoxetine combined with a serotonin-1A receptor antagonist reversed reward deficits observed during nicotine and amphetamine withdrawal in rats. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2001;25(1):55–71.
Watkins SS, Stinus L, Koob GF, Markou A. Reward and somatic changes during precipitated nicotine withdrawal in rats: centrally and peripherally mediated effects. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 2000;292(3):1053–64.
Suzuki T, Ise Y, Tsuda M, Maeda J, Misawa M. Mecamylamine-precipitated nicotine-withdrawal aversion in rats. Eur J Pharmacol. 1996;314(3):281–4.
Dani JA, Harris RA. Nicotine addiction and comorbidity with alcohol abuse and mental illness. Nat Neurosci. 2005;8(11):1465–70.
Pomerleau OF, Pomerleau CS, Mehringer AM, Snedecor SM, Ninowski R, Sen A. Nicotine dependence, depression, and gender: characterizing phenotypes based on withdrawal discomfort, response to smoking, and ability to abstain. Nicotine Tob Res. 2005;7(1):91–102.
Pellow S, Chopin P, File SE, Briley M. Validation of open:closed arm entries in an elevated plus-maze as a measure of anxiety in the rat. J Neurosci Methods. 1985;14(3):149–67.
Damaj MI, Kao W, Martin BR. Characterization of spontaneous and precipitated nicotine withdrawal in the mouse. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 2003;307(2):526–34.
Irvine EE, Cheeta S, File SE. Tolerance to nicotine’s effects in the elevated plus-maze and increased anxiety during withdrawal. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2001;68(2):319–25.
Maren S, Phan KL, Liberzon I. The contextual brain: implications for fear conditioning, extinction and psychopathology. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2013;14(6):417–28.
Coe JW, Brooks PR, Vetelino MG, et al. Varenicline: an alpha4beta2 nicotinic receptor partial agonist for smoking cessation. J Med Chem. 2005;48(10):3474–7.
Portugal GS, Gould TJ. Genetic variability in nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and nicotine addiction: converging evidence from human and animal research. Behav Brain Res. 2008;193(1):1–16.
Andre JM, Gulick D, Portugal GS, Gould TJ. Nicotine withdrawal disrupts both foreground and background contextual fear conditioning but not pre-pulse inhibition of the acoustic startle response in C57BL/6 mice. Behav Brain Res. 2008;190(2):174–81.
Raybuck JD, Gould TJ. Nicotine withdrawal-induced deficits in trace fear conditioning in C57BL/6 mice – a role for high-affinity beta2 subunit-containing nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Eur J Neurosci. 2009;29(2):377–87.
Kobayashi Y, Sano Y, Vannoni E, et al. Genetic dissection of medial habenula-interpeduncular nucleus pathway function in mice. Front Behav Neurosci. 2013;7:17.
Kobayakawa K, Kobayakawa R, Matsumoto H, et al. Innate versus learned odour processing in the mouse olfactory bulb. Nature. 2007;450(7169):503–8.
Robbins TW. The 5-choice serial reaction time task: behavioural pharmacology and functional neurochemistry. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2002;163(3–4):362–80.
Patel S, Stolerman IP, Asherson P, Sluyter F. Attentional performance of C57BL/6 and DBA/2 mice in the 5-choice serial reaction time task. Behav Brain Res. 2006;170(2):197–203.
Qin C, Luo M. Neurochemical phenotypes of the afferent and efferent projections of the mouse medial habenula. Neuroscience. 2009;161(3):827–37.
Gangitano D, Salas R, Teng Y, Perez E, De Biasi M. Progesterone modulation of alpha5 nAChR subunits influences anxiety-related behavior during estrus cycle. Genes Brain Behav. 2009;8(4):398–406.
Hikosaka O, Sesack SR, Lecourtier L, Shepard PD. Habenula: crossroad between the basal ganglia and the limbic system. J Neurosci. 2008;28(46):11825–9.
Hikosaka O. The habenula: from stress evasion to value-based decision-making. Nat Rev Neurosci. 2010;11(7):503–13.
Brady JV, Nauta WJ. Subcortical mechanisms in emotional behavior: the duration of affective changes following septal and habenular lesions in the albino rat. J Comp Physiol Psychol. 1955;48(5):412–20.
Nielson HC, McIver AH. Cold stress and habenular lesion effects on rat behaviors. J Appl Physiol. 1966;21(2):655–60.
Dafny N, Qiao JT. Habenular neuron responses to noxious input are modified by dorsal raphe stimulation. Neurol Res. 1990;12(2):117–21.
Cohen SR, Melzack R. The habenula and pain: repeated electrical stimulation produces prolonged analgesia but lesions have no effect on formalin pain or morphine analgesia. Behav Brain Res. 1993;54(2):171–8.
Matsumoto N, Yahata F, Kawarada K, Kamata K, Suzuki TA. Tooth pulp stimulation induces c-fos expression in the lateral habenular nucleus of the cat. Neuroreport. 1994;5(17):2397–400.
Mahieux G, Benabid AL. Naloxone-reversible analgesia induced by electrical stimulation of the habenula in the rat. Brain Res. 1987;406(1–2):118–29.
Lee EH, Huang SL. Role of lateral habenula in the regulation of exploratory behavior and its relationship to stress in rats. Behav Brain Res. 1988;30(3):265–71.
Thornton EW, Bradbury GE, Davies C. Increased immobility in an automated forced swimming test following lesion of the habenula in rats: absence of evidence for a contribution from motor impairment. Behav Neurosci. 1990;104(1):37–43.
Wang RY, Aghajanian GK. Physiological evidence for habenula as major link between forebrain and midbrain raphe. Science. 1977;197(4298):89–91.
Herkenham M, Nauta WJ. Efferent connections of the habenular nuclei in the rat. J Comp Neurol. 1979;187(1):19–47.
Christoph GR, Leonzio RJ, Wilcox KS. Stimulation of the lateral habenula inhibits dopamine-containing neurons in the substantia nigra and ventral tegmental area of the rat. J Neurosci. 1986;6(3):613–9.
Bromberg-Martin ES, Matsumoto M, Hikosaka O. Dopamine in motivational control: rewarding, aversive, and alerting. Neuron. 2010;68(5):815–34.
Matsumoto M, Hikosaka O. Electrical stimulation of the primate lateral habenula suppresses saccadic eye movement through a learning mechanism. PLoS One. 2011;6(10):e26701.
Wise RA. Roles for nigrostriatal – not just mesocorticolimbic – dopamine in reward and addiction. Trends Neurosci. 2009;32(10):517–24.
Dani JA, De Biasi M. Mesolimbic dopamine and habenulo-interpeduncular pathways in nicotine withdrawal. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med. 2013;3(6):a012138.
Hildebrand BE, Nomikos GG, Hertel P, Schilstrom B, Svensson TH. Reduced dopamine output in the nucleus accumbens but not in the medial prefrontal cortex in rats displaying a mecamylamine-precipitated nicotine withdrawal syndrome. Brain Res. 1998;779(1–2):214–25.
Rada P, Jensen K, Hoebel BG. Effects of nicotine and mecamylamine-induced withdrawal on extracellular dopamine and acetylcholine in the rat nucleus accumbens. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2001;157(1):105–10.
Rahman S, Zhang J, Engleman EA, Corrigall WA. Neuroadaptive changes in the mesoaccumbens dopamine system after chronic nicotine self-administration: a microdialysis study. Neuroscience. 2004;129(2):415–24.
Carboni E, Bortone L, Giua C, Di Chiara G. Dissociation of physical abstinence signs from changes in extracellular dopamine in the nucleus accumbens and in the prefrontal cortex of nicotine dependent rats. Drug Alcohol Depend. 2000;58(1–2):93–102.
Gaddnas H, Piepponen TP, Ahtee L. Mecamylamine decreases accumbal dopamine output in mice treated chronically with nicotine. Neurosci Lett. 2002;330(3):219–22.
Weiss F, Markou A, Lorang MT, Koob GF. Basal extracellular dopamine levels in the nucleus accumbens are decreased during cocaine withdrawal after unlimited-access self-administration. Brain Res. 1992;593(2):314–8.
Rossetti ZL, Hmaidan Y, Gessa GL. Marked inhibition of mesolimbic dopamine release: a common feature of ethanol, morphine, cocaine and amphetamine abstinence in rats. Eur J Pharmacol. 1992;221(2–3):227–34.
Jhou TC, Geisler S, Marinelli M, Degarmo BA, Zahm DS. The mesopontine rostromedial tegmental nucleus: a structure targeted by the lateral habenula that projects to the ventral tegmental area of Tsai and substantia nigra compacta. J Comp Neurol. 2009;513(6):566–96.
Jhou TC, Fields HL, Baxter MG, Saper CB, Holland PC. The rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg), a GABAergic afferent to midbrain dopamine neurons, encodes aversive stimuli and inhibits motor responses. Neuron. 2009;61(5):786–800.
McCallum SE, Cowe MA, Lewis SW, Glick SD. alpha3beta4 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the medial habenula modulate the mesolimbic dopaminergic response to acute nicotine in vivo. Neuropharmacology. 2012;63(3):434–40.
Kim U, Chang SY. Dendritic morphology, local circuitry, and intrinsic electrophysiology of neurons in the rat medial and lateral habenular nuclei of the epithalamus. J Comp Neurol. 2005;483(2):236–50.
Nishikawa T, Fage D, Scatton B. Evidence for, and nature of, the tonic inhibitory influence of habenulo-interpeduncular pathways upon cerebral dopaminergic transmission in the rat. Brain Res. 1986;373(1–2):324–36.
Groenewegen HJ, Ahlenius S, Haber SN, Kowall NW, Nauta WJ. Cytoarchitecture, fiber connections, and some histochemical aspects of the interpeduncular nucleus in the rat. J Comp Neurol. 1986;249(1):65–102.
Lodge DJ, Grace AA. The laterodorsal tegmentum is essential for burst firing of ventral tegmental area dopamine neurons. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006;103(13):5167–72.
Grace AA, Floresco SB, Goto Y, Lodge DJ. Regulation of firing of dopaminergic neurons and control of goal-directed behaviors. Trends Neurosci. 2007;30(5):220–7.
Duchemin AM, Zhang H, Neff NH, Hadjiconstantinou M. Increased expression of VMAT2 in dopaminergic neurons during nicotine withdrawal. Neurosci Lett. 2009;467(2):182–6.
Hadjiconstantinou M, Neff NH. Nicotine and endogenous opioids: neurochemical and pharmacological evidence. Neuropharmacology. 2011;60(7–8):1209–20.
Thierry AM, Tassin JP, Blanc G, Glowinski J. Selective activation of mesocortical DA system by stress. Nature. 1976;263(5574):242–4.
Inglis FM, Moghaddam B. Dopaminergic innervation of the amygdala is highly responsive to stress. J Neurochem. 1999;72(3):1088–94.
Bradberry CW, Lory JD, Roth RH. The anxiogenic beta-carboline FG 7142 selectively increases dopamine release in rat prefrontal cortex as measured by microdialysis. J Neurochem. 1991;56(3):748–52.
Broersen LM, Abbate F, Feenstra MG, de Bruin JP, Heinsbroek RP, Olivier B. Prefrontal dopamine is directly involved in the anxiogenic interoceptive cue of pentylenetetrazol but not in the interoceptive cue of chlordiazepoxide in the rat. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2000;149(4):366–76.
Kawasaki H, Kaufman O, Damasio H, et al. Single-neuron responses to emotional visual stimuli recorded in human ventral prefrontal cortex. Nat Neurosci. 2001;4(1):15–6.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Dao, D.Q., Salas, R., De Biasi, M. (2014). Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors Along the Habenulo-Interpeduncular Pathway: Roles in Nicotine Withdrawal and Other Aversive Aspects. In: Lester, R. (eds) Nicotinic Receptors. The Receptors, vol 26. Humana Press, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1167-7_18
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-1167-7_18
Published:
Publisher Name: Humana Press, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-1166-0
Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-1167-7
eBook Packages: Biomedical and Life SciencesBiomedical and Life Sciences (R0)