Developmental regulation and lateralisation of the α7 and α4 subunits of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in developing rat hippocampus

The purpose of this study was to describe the distinct regional distribution patterns of expression of the α7 and α4 subunits of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) and their left‐right lateralisation in the rat hippocampus during the first 2 weeks of postnatal (P) development. Eighteen male pups were randomly divided into three groups: P0, P7, and P14. After removing the newborn brains, real‐time polymerase chain reaction, western blot, and immunohistochemistry techniques were used to evaluate expression of the receptors. Results indicated that the expression profile of these receptors were time‐ and spatially dependent. A significant increase was observed in the distribution of α7 and α4 nAChR subunits in the developing rat hippocampus from P0 to P7 (p