Prenatal Nicotine Exposure Impairs Executive Control Signals in Medial Prefrontal Cortex.

ABSTRACT: Prenatal nicotine exposure (PNE) is linked to numerous psychiatric disorders including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Current literature suggests that core deficits observed in ADHD reflect abnormal inhibitory control governed by the prefrontal cortex. Yet, it is unclear how neural activity in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) is modulated during tasks that assess response inhibition or if these neural correlates, along with behavior, are affected by PNE. To address this issue, we recorded from single mPFC neurons in control and PNE rats as they performed a stop-signal task. We found that PNE rats were faster for all trial-types, made more premature responses, and were less likely to inhibit behavior on 'STOP' trials during which rats had to inhibit an already initiated

SUBMITTER: Bryden DW 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4707818 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature