Abstract
Aims: Ghrelin (GHR) is an orexigenic gut peptide that interacts with ghrelin receptors (GHR-Rs) to modulate brain reinforcement circuits. Systemic GHR infusions augment cocaine stimulated locomotion and conditioned place preference (CPP) in rats, whereas genetic or pharmacological ablation of GHR-Rs has been shown to attenuate the acute locomotor-enhancing effects of nicotine, cocaine, amphetamine and alcohol and to blunt the CPP induced by food, alcohol, amphetamine and cocaine in mice. The stimulant nicotine can induce CPP and like amphetamine and cocaine, repeated administration of nicotine induces locomotor sensitization in rats. A key issue is whether pharmacological antagonismof GHR-Rs would similarly attenuate nicotine-induced locomotor sensitization. Method: To examine the role of GHR-Rs in the behavioral sensitizing effects of nicotine, adult male rats were injected with either 0, 3 or 6 mg/kg of the GHR-R receptor antagonist JMV 2959 (i.p.) and 20 min later with either vehicle or 0.4 mg/kg nicotine hydrogen tartrate (s.c.) on each of 7 consecutive days. Results: Rats treated with nicotine alone showed robust locomotor sensitization, whereas rats pretreated with JMV 2959 showed significantly attenuated nicotine-induced hyperlocomotion. Conclusions: These results suggest that GHR-R activity is required for the induction of locomotor sensitization to nicotine and complement an emerging literature implicating central GHR systems in drug reward/reinforcement.