Reversal of diminished inhibitory sensory gating in cocaine addicts by a nicotinic cholinergic mechanism

Neuropsychopharmacology : Official Publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology
L E AdlerR Freedman

Abstract

Cocaine addiction, as with other stimulant abuse, produces psychotic symptoms. Although often moderate to mild in severity, these symptoms are, nevertheless, associated with poorer over-all outcome. Recent studies suggest diminished nicotinic cholinergic neurotransmission as a mechanism of a physiological deficit found in schizophrenia, failure of auditory sensory inhibition. Diminished inhibitory sensory gating also occurs in cocaine addicts, probably because of their increased catecholaminergic neurotransmission, which blocks the inhibition. In the present study, 11 cocaine addicts in the first week of detoxification were recorded electrophysiologically, after which the effects of 6 mg of nicotine gum, were assessed in a double-blind placebo-controlled crossover design. The test was repeated 10 days later. Treatment with nicotine, but not placebo, briefly reversed the inhibitory abnormality on both test days. Although nicotine itself may not be a desirable therapeutic agent, because desensitization of nicotinic receptors limits the time course of its effect, the study identifies a previously unexploited therapeutic target for new drug development for the neuropsychiatric sequelae of cocaine addiction.

Citations

Jan 11, 2005·Neurotoxicity Research·Anders Fredriksson, Trevor Archer
Apr 7, 2005·European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience·Hidehisa YamashitaSeppo Kähkönen
Aug 23, 2001·Clinical Neurophysiology : Official Journal of the International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology·M A KisleyR Freedman
Dec 8, 2007·Nature Reviews. Drug Discovery·Daniel C JavittMihály Hajós
May 20, 2003·Psychophysiology·Michael A KisleyRobert Freedman
Jun 1, 2009·Acta Neuropsychiatrica·Paolo OlgiatiAlessandro Serretti
Jan 9, 2010·Journal of Applied Physiology·Pei-Ying Sarah Chan, P W Davenport

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