Nicotine-Induced Kindling: Influences of Age, Sex, and Prevention by Antioxidants

Kindling is a model for the study of long-lasting neuroplasticity related to epileptogenesis and to the spontaneous manifestation of symptoms observed in stress-related disorders such as anxiety, depression, substance use, and bipolar disorder. The repeated administration of central nervous system stimulants, such as cocaine, has long been known to induce kindling, but only in the last decade, nicotine-kindled seizures were characterized. The kindling model seems to be an important approach for the study of neuroplasticity mechanism triggered by nicotine repeated administration. It helps understanding nicotine-induced neuropsychiatric symptoms and brain structural alterations with the perspective of developing appropriate targets for therapeutic drug development. This chapter provides a review of the existing literature on nicotine-induced kindling, the influences of age and sex in its development, and the role of antioxidants in the prevention of nicotine kindling development.