ABSTRACT
Expression in the Brain Reward System....................................................200 14.3 DRD3 Is Not Involved in the
Direct Reinforcing Effects of Nicotine ......................................................203 14.4 Utility of DRD3 Ligands for the
Treatment of Tobacco Dependence ............................................................203 14.5 BP 897 Does Not Produce Nicotine-Like
Discriminative Stimulus or Antidepressant Effects....................................204 14.6 Conclusion: Interest in DRD3 Ligands
for Treatment of Nicotine Dependence ......................................................206 Acknowledgments..................................................................................................207 References..............................................................................................................207
Tobacco, like other drugs of abuse such as alcohol, heroin, cocaine, and delta-9tetrahydrocannabinol, elicits a state of physiological dependence by interacting with brain reward systems. All of these drugs increase dopamine levels in the shell of the nucleus accumbens, a structure that is involved in their hedonic and reinforcing effects. This review focuses on the potential utility of the dopamine D
