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Updated: May 12, 2026

P50 Sensory Gating in Infants
Published on: December 26, 2013
The effect of nicotine on sensorimotor gating is modulated by a CHRNA3 polymorphism
Nadine Petrovsky1, Ulrich Ettinger, Henrik Kessler
1Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany. nadine.petrovsky@uni-bonn.de
Rationale:
Prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic startle response, a measure of sensorimotor gating, can be enhanced by nicotine. Moreover, the TT genotype of the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) α3-subunit (CHRNA3) rs1051730 polymorphism has previously been associated with diminished PPI and nicotine dependence.
Objectives:
We tested whether this CHRNA3 polymorphism also modulates the nicotine-induced enhancement of PPI.
Methods:
We assessed the effect of nicotine on PPI, startle reactivity, and habituation in 52 healthy nonsmoking volunteers genotyped for CHRNA3 rs1051730 in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, counterbalanced, within-subjects design. Additionally, cotinine plasma levels were measured.
Results:
Nicotine significantly enhanced PPI in TT homozygotes only and tended to worsen PPI in TC and CC carriers. Additionally, nicotine significantly reduced startle habituation.
Conclusions:
The present findings imply that the effect of nicotine on sensorimotor gating is modulated by nAChR α3-subunits. Thus, genetic variation in nicotinic receptor genes might be an important connecting link between early attentional processes and smoking behavior.
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