Investigating the Modulation of the VTA Neurons in Nicotine-Exposed Pups during Early Maturation Using Optogenetics

Advancing the understanding of the relationship between perinatal nicotine addiction and the reward mechanism of the brain is crucial for uncovering and implementing new treatments for addiction control and prevention. The mesolimbic pathway of the brain, also known as the reward pathway, consists of two main areas that regulate dopamine (DA) and addiction-related behaviors. The ventral tegmental area (VTA) releases DA when stimulated, causing the propagation of neuronal firing along the pathway. This ends in the release of DA into the extracellular space of the nucleus accumbens (NAc), which is directly modulated by the uptake of DA. Much research has been conducted on the effects of nicotine addiction, but little research has been conducted concerning nicotine addiction and the mesolimbic pathway regarding maturation due to the small brain size. In this study, we apply our novel microstimulation experimental system to rat pups that have been perinatally exposed to nicotine. By using our self-fabricated photo-stimulation (PS) device, we can stimulate the VTA and collect dialysate, which is then used to estimate DA released into the NAc. The proposed platform has demonstrated the potential to monitor neural pathways as the pups mature.