Nicotine blocks kainic acid-induced wet dog shakes in rats

Systemic or central administration of kainic acid (KA) in rats results in the expression of wet dog shakes (WDS) followed by motoric seizures and convulsions, which are associated with limbic neurotoxicity. Although a number of neurotransmitter systems are thought to be involved with this KA-induced syndrome, little is known about the possible influence of cholinergic nicotinic receptor modulation. In the study presented here, we pretreated rats with saline or 0.5 mg/kg nicotine base followed 15 minutes later by 12.0 mg/kg KA and then observed the incidence of WDS between 45 and 120 minutes post-KA injection. Rats pretreated with nicotine exhibited significantly less WDS than those pretreated with saline (p < .001). Whereas the mechanism for this nicotine effect is currently not known, future experiments will look at dose-response relationships, the role of nicotine receptors, and possible neuroprotective potential of nicotine in this KA-induced syndrome.