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Biomedical subjects

S S Watkins

Publications and source records attributed to S S Watkins.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

Neural mechanisms underlying nicotine addiction: acute positive reinforcement and withdrawal.

The neurobiology of nicotine addiction is reviewed within the context of neurobiological and behavioral theories postulated for other drugs of abuse. The roles of various neurotransmitter systems, including acetylcholine, dopamine, serotonin, glutamate, gamma-aminobutyric acid, and opioid peptides in acute nicotine reinforcement and withdrawal from chronic administration are examined followed by a discussion of potential neuroadaptations within these neurochemical systems that may lead to the development of nicotine dependence. The link between nicotine administration, depression and schizophrenia are also discussed. Finally, a theoretical model of the neurobiological mechanisms underlying acute nicotine withdrawal and protracted abstinence involves alterations within dopaminergic, serotonergic, and stress systems that are hypothesized to contribute to the negative affective state associated with nicotine abstinence.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Use of growth factors to improve muscle healing after strain injury.

Muscle injuries represent a large number of professional and recreational sports injuries. Muscle strains habitually occur after an eccentric contraction, which often leads to an injury located in the myotendinous junction. Treatment varies widely, depending on the severity of the trauma, but has remained limited mostly to rest, ice, compression, elevation, antiinflammatory drugs, and mobilization. The authors' research group aims to develop new biologic approaches to improve muscle healing after injuries, including muscle strains. To achieve this goal, the authors investigated several parameters that will lead to the development of new strategies to enhance muscle healing. The authors first evaluated natural muscle healing after strain injuries and showed that muscle regeneration occurs in the early phase of healing but becomes impaired with time by the development of tissue fibrosis. Several growth factors capable of improving muscle regeneration were investigated; basic fibroblast growth factor, insulin-like growth factor, and nerve growth factors were identified as substances capable of enhancing muscle regeneration and improving muscle force in the strained injured muscle. The current study should aid in the development of strategies to promote efficient muscle healing and complete recovery after strain injury.

Animals↗
PubMed2000

Reward and somatic changes during precipitated nicotine withdrawal in rats: centrally and peripherally mediated effects.

The negative affective aspects of nicotine withdrawal have been hypothesized to contribute to tobacco dependence. In the present studies in rats, brain stimulation reward thresholds, conditioned place aversions, and somatic signs of withdrawal were used to investigate the role of central and peripheral nicotinic acetylcholine and opioid receptors in nicotine withdrawal. Rats prepared with s.c. osmotic mini-pumps delivering 9.0 mg/kg/day nicotine hydrogen tartrate or saline were administered various doses of the nicotinic antagonists mecamylamine (s.c.), chlorisondamine (s. c. or i.c.v.), dihydro-beta-erythroidine (s.c.), or the opiate antagonist naloxone (s.c.). Nicotine-treated rats receiving mecamylamine or i.c.v. chlorisondamine exhibited elevated thresholds and more somatic signs than saline-treated rats. Nicotine-treated rats receiving s.c. chlorisondamine, at doses that do not readily cross the blood-brain barrier, exhibited more somatic signs than saline-treated rats with no threshold elevations. Naloxone administration produced threshold elevations and somatic signs only at high doses that induced similar magnitude effects in both nicotine- and saline-treated subjects. Mecamylamine or dihydro-beta-erythroidine administration induced conditioned place aversions in nicotine-treated rats but required higher doses than those needed to precipitate threshold elevations. In contrast, naloxone administration induced conditioned place aversions at lower doses than those required to precipitate threshold elevations and somatic signs. These data provide evidence for a dissociation between centrally mediated elevations in reward thresholds and somatic signs that are both centrally and peripherally mediated. Furthermore, threshold elevations and somatic signs of withdrawal appear to be mediated by cholinergic neurotransmission, whereas conditioned place aversions appear to be primarily mediated by the opioid system.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

Blockade of nicotine self-administration with nicotinic antagonists in rats.

The reinforcing properties of a variety of drugs abused by humans have been investigated using the technique of intravenous self-administration in the rat. To examine the effect of nicotine dose on nicotine self-administration, Wistar rats were allowed to self-administer various doses of nicotine using a within-subjects Latin square design. An inverted U-shaped dose response curve was obtained, with the highest rates of responding at the 0.03 mg/kg/inf dose. With 1-h daily nicotine self-administration sessions, rats did not appear dependent on nicotine 24 h later, as indicated by the absence of somatic signs of withdrawal after subcutaneous injection of a nicotinic acetylcholine receptor antagonist, mecamylamine (0.57 mg/kg). In another set of studies, pretreatment with subcutaneous mecamylamine or dihydro-beta-erythroidine, two nicotinic acetylcholine receptor antagonists, resulted in significant dose-dependent reductions in nicotine self-administration, at two nicotine doses (0.03 and 0.06 mg/kg/inf). These results indicate that nicotine is an effective reinforcer in Wistar rats under the present parameters, and that these reinforcing effects are mediated by activation of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors.

Animals↗
PubMed1998

Dramatic decreases in brain reward function during nicotine withdrawal.

Tobacco smoking is a worldwide public health problem. In the United States alone, over 400,000 deaths and $50 billion in medical costs annually are directly attributed to smoking. Accumulated evidence indicates that nicotine is the component of tobacco smoke that leads to addiction, but the means by which nicotine produces addiction remain unclear. Nicotine is less effective as a positive reinforcer than other drugs of abuse in non-dependent animals. Nevertheless, nicotine-withdrawal symptoms, including depressed mood, anxiety, irritability and craving in dependent subjects may contribute to the addictive liability of nicotine. We show here that spontaneous nicotine withdrawal in rats resulted in a significant decrease in brain reward function, as measured by elevations in brain reward thresholds, which persisted for four days. Further, systemic injections of a competitive nicotinic-receptor antagonist led to a dose-dependent increase in brain reward thresholds in chronic nicotine-treated rats. The decreased function in brain reward systems during nicotine withdrawal is comparable in magnitude and duration to that of other major drugs of abuse, and may constitute an important motivational factor that contributes to craving, relapse and continued tobacco consumption in humans.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Introducing a computerized record and verify system: its impact on the reduction of treatment errors.

A survey of treatment errors has been conducted over a period of several months before and after the introduction of a CMS computerized record and verify system for radiation treatments administered on a Varian CL-1800 accelerator. It was found that treatment errors could be reduced considerably. However, some errors were also caused by wrong data entry into the system. In two instances, errors were detected only through the record and verify system; they had escaped all previous chart checks and would never have been found otherwise. The impact of the computerized record and verify system is analyzed with regard to improved treatment delivery, reception by technologists, and treatment documentation.

Humans↗