Nicotine Enhances the Excitability of Gaba Neurons in the Ventral Tegmental Area via Activation of Alpha 7 Nicotinic Receptors on Glutamate Terminals

Devin H Taylor^1,2,3, Poromendro N Burman¹, Micah D Hansen¹, Rebecca S Wilcox¹, Brett R Larsen¹, Jennifer K Blanchard¹, Collin B Merrill¹, Jeffrey G Edwards¹, Sterling N Sudweeks¹, Jie Wu MD^2,3, Hugo R Arias⁴ and Scott C Steffensen^1*

¹Department of Psychology, and Physiology & Developmental Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA

²Division of Neurology, Barrow Neurological Institute, 350 W Thomas Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85103-4409, USA

³Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, Graduate College, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 58258, USA

⁴Department of Medical Education, College of Medicine, California Northstate University, Elk Grove, CA 95757, USA

^*Corresponding Author: Scott C Steffensen, Ph.D., Physiology & Developmental Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USA, Tel: (801) 422-9499, Fax: (801) 422-0602 Email: