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Punishment by intravenous nicotine in rats
Author(s) -
Truong Yen NhuThi,
Woods James
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.27.1_supplement.1098.6
Subject(s) - nicotine , punishment (psychology) , self administration , psychology , alkaloid , anesthesia , pharmacology , nicotine withdrawal , sucrose , medicine , developmental psychology , neuroscience , chemistry , food science , stereochemistry
Rationale Although it is known that humans will self‐administer intravenous nicotine, the motivational valences of nicotine are not well understood. In order to address the seeming paradox involving the positive and negative subjective effects of nicotine, we have developed operant choice procedures that allow us to detect when intravenous nicotine results in both increases and decreases in behavior resulting in its self‐administration. Objective To examine the effects of contingent and non‐contingent intravenous nicotine on sucrose‐maintained operant responding. Methods The effects of intravenous nicotine on sucrose maintained behavior in a two‐lever operant chamber was measured in rats. Results Response‐contingent nicotine dose‐dependently decreased sucrose maintained‐behavior in our operant choice procedures, and when available, nicotine increased responding maintained by only sucrose alternative consequence. Delay in response‐contingent nicotine attenuated the punishing effect of nicotine. Non‐contingent nicotine, at total cumulative doses equal to and above those self‐administered did not punish sucrose‐maintained behavior. Conclusion Intravenous nicotine may serve as a punisher of sucrose‐maintained behavior in rats. University of Michigan Rackham Merit Fellowship.