Acute and chronic nicotine exposure differentially facilitate the induction of LTP

We report here that acute and chronic nicotine exposure facilitated the ind uction of long-term potentiation (LTP), a leading candidate for a cellular mechanism underlying learning and memory, in the hippocampus. Furthermore, acute application of nicotine in chronic nicotine-treated hippocampus furth er facilitated the induction of LTP, suggesting that acute and chronic nico tine effects on LTP induction are mediated by different mechanisms. These f indings not only provide evidence for chronic nicotine-induced synaptic cha nges in the hippocampus, but also an explanation of the cellular basis of n icotine-induced cognitive enhancement. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All r ights reserved.