Neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) regulate the rewarding actions of
nicotine contained in tobacco that establish and maintain the smoking habit. nAChRs also …

Dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta and ventral tegmental area of
the midbrain form the nigrostriatal and mesocorticolimbic dopaminergic pathways that …

Nicotine is reinforcing because it activates dopaminergic (DAergic) neurons within the
ventral tegmental area (VTA) of the brain's mesocorticolimbic reward circuitry. This increase …

Ethanol (EtOH) is a drug widely consumed throughout the world that promotes several
neurochemical disorders. Its deleterious effects are generally associated with modifications …

Two of the biggest health problems facing us today are addiction to nicotine and the
increased prevalence of obesity. Interestingly, nicotine attenuates obesity, but the underlying …

18-Methoxycoronaridine (18-MC), a putative anti-addictive agent, has been shown to
decrease the self-administration of several drugs of abuse in rats. 18-MC is a potent …

The mesopontine tegmentum, comprising the pedunculopontine tegmentum (PPN) and the
laterodorsal tegmentum (LDT), is intricately connected to various regions of the basal …

The laterodorsal tegmental nucleus (LDTg) is a hindbrain cholinergic cell group thought to
be involved in mechanisms of arousal and the control of midbrain dopamine cells …

Conditioned place preference (CPP) is widely used to investigate the rewarding properties
of cocaine. Various brain regions and neurotransmitters are involved in developing cocaine …

The ventral tegmental area (VTA), a pivotal brain region of the mesocorticolimbic
dopaminergic system, is substantially innervated and modulated by cholinergic projections …