Topic: PFC interneurons

The prefrontal cortex (PFC) plays a critical role in attentional processes in humans and animals. Neuroimaging studies have reported that cigarette smokers have reduced prefrontal cortex (PFC) function and impaired attention, suggesting that dysfunction in the PFC may underlie these attentional deficits. However, little is known about the PFC neuronal processes underlying attentional performance and their alterations following nicotine exposure. Here, we first assessed the long-term effects of nicotine intake escalation and withdrawal on attentional performance. Rats were trained in a 5-choice