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 Seth Brown ’08
received a grant through the Vermont Genetics Network (VGN) to study,
under the advisement of Assistant Professor Ari Kirshenbaum,
the effects of nicotine on the central nervous system. In particular, Brown looked
at the impulsive behavior in rats using an operant task of
impulsivity. The project aimed to test one of the very fundamental
tenets of substance use, this being whether chronic administration
of a psychomotor stimulant (in this case nicotine) results in the
development of behavioral tolerance. The research that was performed
over the summer is a small step in the direction of a complete
understanding of addiction and chronic smoking, as well as helpful
knowledge that can be used in the formation of new therapies for
addiction. This research was a continuation of work begun by David
Hughes ’06 and Professor
Kirshenbaum last year on a VGN grant.
Seth Brown and Professor Kirshenbaum
The results of
Brown’s study demonstrated that prolonged exposure to the drug
results in the opposite of tolerance, or what is called
sensitization of behavior. The effects of nicotine were evaluated in
an animal model of impulsive behavior, and chronic administration of
nicotine was associated with an increase in impulsive behavior
compared to baseline levels. One of the most noteworthy features of
Brown’s grant was the inclusion of a physiological assay of neural
growth, and Brown conducted this very rigorous cellular analysis
with the help Dr. Jom Hammack at the
University
of Vermont. Brown and Professor Kirshenbaum are currently in process
of submitting these data to a scientific journal of publication.
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