addiction
Is the anterior insula required for nicotine context relapse?
Open access · cc by · source: Europe PMC
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.
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Is the anterior insula required for nicotine context relapse?
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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
Key findings
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.
Methodology
Built a rodent context-relapse model after punishment-imposed abstinence; measured Fos, retrograde inputs, fiber photometry, and chemogenetic inhibition in male and female rats.
Limitations
Does not directly treat human smokers or prove all insula subregions are equivalent outside this relapse assay.
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