Intravenous prenatal nicotine exposure increases orexin expression in the lateral hypothalamus and orexin innervation of the ventral tegmental area in adult male rats

The findings indicate that the influence of PN exposure is enduring, and suggests that the PN-induced modification of orexin expression on mesolimbic circuitry may contribute to the reported changes in motivated behaviors related to food and drug reward observed in offspring prenatally exposed to nicotine.