Nicotine receptor subtype-specific effects on the P20 component of the ERP.

<p><b>A</b>) P20 amplitude following nicotine and nicotine receptor antagonists. Assessment of the effects of nicotine antagonists was carried out using a within subjects design in which each mouse was assessed on each drug, with sessions being separated by a 24 hour washout period. N = 13 for each condition. Nicotine (1 mg/kg) produced a significant increase in P20 S1 (black) amplitude without concomitant changes in S2 (gray). The α4β4/α4β2 nicotinic receptor antagonist DHβE (2 mg/kg) blocked the effect of nicotine on P20 amplitude, while the α7 antagonist MLA (10 mg/kg) had no effect on P20. S1 was significantly higher than S2 in all conditions except nicotine plus DHβE. <b>B</b>) <b>P20 amplitude following the α4β2 specific agonist AZD3480.</b> Assessment of the effects of AZD3480 was carried out using a within subjects design in which each mouse was assessed on each drug, with sessions being separated by a 72 hour washout period. The mice used to assess AZD3480 were a separate cohort from those shown in <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0039775#pone-0039775-g002" target="_blank">Figure 2A</a> used to assess nicotine antagonists. N = 9 for each condition. No significant changes were observed on P20 amplitude following either a low (1 mg/kg) or high (10 mg/kg) dose of the α4β2 AZD3480 antagonist. # indicates significant difference from saline vehicle (all p<0.05).