Adolescent Nicotine Exposure Induces Dysregulation of Mesocorticolimbic Activity States and Depressive and Anxiety-like Prefrontal Cortical Molecular Phenotypes Persisting into Adulthood

Considerable evidence demonstrates strong comorbidity between nicotine dependence and mood and anxiety disorders. Nevertheless, the neurobiological mechanisms linking adolescent nicotine exposure to mood and anxiety disorders are not known. Disturbances in the mesocorticolimbic dopamine (DA) system, comprising the prefrontal cortex (PFC), ventral tegmental area (VTA), and nucleus accumbens (NAc), are correlates of mood and anxiety-related symptoms and this circuitry is strongly influenced by acute or chronic nicotine exposure. Using a combination of behavioral pharmacology, in vivo neuronal electrophysiology and molecular analyses, we examined and compared the effects of chronic nicotine exposure in rats during adolescence versus adulthood to characterize the mechanisms by which adolescent nicotine may selectively confer increased risk of developing mood and anxiety-related symptoms in later life. We report that exposure to nicotine, selectively during adolescence, induces profound and long-lasting neuronal, molecular and behavioral disturbances involving PFC DA D1R and downstream extracellular-signal-related kinase 1-2 (ERK 1-2) signaling. Remarkably, adolescent nicotine induced a persistent state of hyperactive DA activity in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) concomitant with hyperactive neuronal activity states in the PFC. Our findings identify several unique neuronal and molecular biomarkers that may serve as functional risk mechanisms for the long-lasting neuropsychiatric effects of adolescent smoking behaviors.