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Updated: Aug 1, 2026

Local Application of Drugs to Study Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Function in Mouse Brain Slices
Published on: October 29, 2012
Cholinergic deafferentation enhances rat hippocampal pyramidal neuron responsiveness to locally applied nicotine
C J Frazier1, Y D Rollins, M E Hall
1Neuroscience Training Program, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Denver, USA.
Abstract:
We tested whether cholinergic denervation of the hippocampus of young rats would result in an enhancement of CA1 pyramidal cell responsiveness to nicotine. Electrolytic lesions of the medial septal area were performed in young male Fisher 344 rats. One month later the rats were anesthetized with pentobarbital and nicotine was locally applied to CA1 pyramidal neurons using pressure microejection. The dose of nicotine required to excite the pyramidal neurons was significantly lower for cells recorded from rats with septal lesions. However, no changes in hippocampal cytisine or alpha-bungarotoxin binding were found.
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