The effect of previous exposure to nicotine on nicotine place preference

PASTOR, V. ANDRES E & BERNABEU R

PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY

SPRINGER

Lugar: Berlin; Año: 2012 p. 1 - 10

0033-3158

Rationale Prior exposure to drugs of abuse may increase ordecrease the reinforcing effects of the drug in later consumptions.Based on the initial locomotor activity (LA)response to an acute drug administration or to novelty inan open-field arena, animals can be classified as low or highLA responders (LR or HR). Few studies have used thisclassification with nicotine, and the results are controversial.Some authors suggested that nicotine can induceconditioned-place preference (CPP) following prior nicotineexposure, whereas others suggested that previous nicotineexposure extinguishes nicotine-CPP.Objective To explore if the administration of nicotine in anovel environment without explicit behavioral consequencesto classify animals in low and high nicotine responders(LNR and HNR) could affect the establishment of nicotineCPP in male Sprague?Dawley rats.Results Prior exposure to a single dose of nicotine (0.4 mg/kg, subcutaneously) induced CPP in LNR rats after 14 daysof conditioning (seven-trial) but not after two or eight conditioningdays. In contrast, HNR rats did not show CPPunder any condition. In addition, our results indicated thatprevious exposure to nicotine decreased its rewardingeffects in eight conditioning days CPP (four-trial), whichcan be regularly established without prior exposure tonicotine.Conclusion The results suggested that response to a singleexposure to nicotine predicts the acquisition of nicotinepreference in a 14-day conditioning protocol only for LNRrats. Thus, our findings demonstrated the relevance of usingLNR and HNR classification when the individual susceptibilityto nicotine preference is studied.