Modulation of the Mouse Prefrontal Cortex Activation by Neuronal Nicotinic Receptors during Novelty Exploration but not by Exploration of a Familiar Environment

作者：Bourgeois Jean Pierre; Meas Yeadid Vannary; Lesourd Anne Marie; Faure Philippe; Pons Stephanie; Maskos Uwe; Changeux Jean Pierre; Olivo Marin Jean Christophe; Granon Sylvie^*

来源：Cerebral Cortex, 2012, 22(5): 1007-1015.

DOI：10.1093/cercor/bhr159

• c-Fos
• nAChRs
• novelty
• prefrontal cortex
• reward circuit

Organization of locomotor behavior is altered in mice knockout for the beta 2 subunit of the nicotinic receptor-beta 2-/- mice-during novelty exploration. We investigated the neuronal basis of this alteration by measuring activation of the immediate early gene c-fos in the brains of wild-type (WT) and beta 2-/- mice after exploration of a novel or a familiar environment. Results show 1) no constitutive difference between WT and beta 2-/- mice in c-fos gene expression in any brain region, 2) novelty exploration triggered activation of the hippocampus and the reward circuit while exploration of a familiar environment produced increased activation in the amygdala, and 3) in beta 2-/- mice, exploration of novelty, but not familiarity, induced an increase in activation in the prelimbic prefrontal cortex (PFC) compared with WT mice. c-Fos immunoreactivity after different stages of learning in a maze increased similarly in the prelimbic area of both WT and beta 2-/- mice, while their performance differed. In WT mice, exploration of a novel environment triggered an increase in c-Fos expression in the reward circuit and the hippocampus, while in beta 2-/- mice, the amygdala and the motor cortex were additionally activated. We also highlight the role of nicotinic receptors during activation of the PFC, specifically during free exploration of a novel environment.

• 出版日期2012-5