Autoradiographic evidence for nicotine receptors on nigrostriatal and mesolimbic dopaminergic neurons.

Rats received unilateral injections of 6-hydroxydopamine into the medial forebrain bundle, resulting in an ipsilateral loss of striatal dopamine and of dopaminergic perikarya. A concomitant reduction of displaceable tritiated nicotine binding was observed autoradiographically in the ipsilateral substantia nigra, ventral tegmental area, striatum, nucleus accumbens, and olfactory tubercle. Thus, nicotine receptors appear to be located on nigrostriatal and mesolimbic dopaminergic neurons at the level of perikarya and terminals.