This Project Grant award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) under the Drug Use and Addiction Research Programs (CFDA 93.279) will support research to develop novel viral vectors for investigating the role of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) desensitization in nicotine reinforcement and dopamine release. The $232,500 award to Wake Forest University Health Sciences (WFUHS) will fund two main objectives: 1) design, produce, and validate adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors expressing desensitization-resistant nAChR subunits, and 2) study how removal of nAChR desensitization in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) impacts nicotine self-administration and dopamine release in rodent models. This research aims to provide new tools and insights to advance the understanding of nAChR function in nicotine addiction, which may facilitate the development of improved tobacco cessation treatments.
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