Protection by nicotine from behavioral disruption caused by reticular formation stimulation in the rat

Male Sprague-Dawley rats prepared with chronic electrodes in the mesencephalic reticular formation were trained to perform on a visual attention task. Short trains of electric current delivered to the reticular formation effectively blocked performance in a reversible and reproducible fashion. Subcutaneous administration of 100 mug/kg nicotine (as the base) served to attenuate the behavioral disruption caused by reticular stimulation. The suggestion that it is a nicotine-induced limbic system activation which antagonizes the behavioral disruption caused by electrically-induced reticular over-activation, is discussed.