Is the anterior insula required for nicotine context relapse?
In a punishment-imposed abstinence model, anterior (not mid/posterior) insula activity rose at context relapse, and chemogenetic aIC inhibition cut seeking after punishment or extinction.
Source
Role of anterior insula cortex in context-induced relapse of nicotine-seeking
Inspect source passages
Is the anterior insula required for nicotine context relapse?
These passages occur verbatim in the stored paper text. They support the points listed below; they do not verify every statement in the explanation.
Anterior IC, not mid/posterior, activated at context relapse.
Using the neuronal activity marker Fos we find that the anterior (aIC), but not the middle or posterior IC, shows increased activity during context-induced relapse
Chemogenetic aIC inhibition decreased context-induced seeking.
chemogenetic inhibition of aIC decreased context-induced nicotine-seeking after either punishment- or extinction-imposed abstinence
What they did
Built a rodent context-relapse model after punishment-imposed abstinence; measured Fos, retrograde inputs, fiber photometry, and chemogenetic inhibition in male and female rats.
What they found
aIC (not mIC/pIC) activated at relapse; contralateral aIC and BLA inputs were more active; aIC showed phasic rises around seeking; inhibiting aIC reduced context-induced seeking after punishment or extinction.
The limits
What it doesn't show
Does not directly treat human smokers or prove all insula subregions are equivalent outside this relapse assay.
Key terms
- aIC
- Anterior insular cortex.
- Context-induced relapse
- Return of drug seeking when returned to the drug-associated environment.
- Punishment-imposed abstinence
- Abstinence driven by negative consequences of drug taking.
- Fos
- Immediate-early gene marker of recent neuronal activity.
- Fiber photometry
- Records bulk calcium signals from a brain region during behavior.
- Chemogenetics
- Designer receptors used to inhibit/activate targeted neurons.
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IC subregion activated at context relapse:
Common questions
Which IC subregion activated?
Anterior, not middle/posterior.
Key inputs active at relapse?
Contralateral aIC and basolateral amygdala.
Did inhibition reduce seeking?
Yes after punishment- or extinction-imposed abstinence.
Sexes tested?
Both male and female rats.