Effects of nicotine preexposure on sulpiride-induced dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens.

We examined the effects of nicotine preexposure or saline on dopamine release to sulpiride in the rat nucleus accumbens. Microdialysis was used to locally perfuse the sulpiride into the ventral tegmental area while sampling dopamine levels in the nucleus accumbens. The increase (130% and 165% of basal) in extracellular accumbens dopamine levels observed during ventral tegmental area perfusion for 80 min with 10-100 microM sulpiride in saline-treated animals was reduced (128% and 105% of basal) in nicotine-preexposed animals. The reduction of sulpiride-induced nucleus accumbens dopamine release after nicotine treatment is likely the result of down-regulation of somatodendritic dopamine autoreceptors.