Inhalants as environmental contaminants or recreational drugs pose a considerable health concern but little is known about their mode of action. In 2011, a study from the National Institute for Drug Addiction revealed that an estimate of 21.7 million people aged 12 or older have used inhalants that contain high concentrations of volatile organic compounds, primarily toluene. These compounds can have debilitating impact on brain chemistry. While toluene’s impact on the central dopamine reward pathway has been already reported, the exact mechanism underlining toluene’s effect is still obscure. Towards this goal, the present work seeks to combine both electroanalytical and molecular-based tools to unravel how toluene affects the dopamine system in the nucleus accumbens, a region implicated in addiction. Following exposing mice to 30 minutes toluene inhalation each day for seven consecutive days, slice fast scan cyclic voltammetry (FSCV) with carbon fiber microelectrodes were combined with pharmacological assay to delineate the mechanism behind toluene induced dopamine release. The impact of toluene on the dopamine neurotransmission was further assessed by examining D2 receptor levels, localization and distribution using immunoassays. The combination of the electroanalytical and immunoassays revealed toluene induced dysregulation in dopamine neurotransmission that could be the neuroadaptation underlining compulsive and repetitive use of toluene.

Elucidating the neurochemical basis for the effect of chronic toluene inhalation on accumbal dopamine release

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.