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Assessment of Cocaine-induced Behavioral Sensitization and Conditioned Place Preference in Mice
Published on: February 18, 2016
Nicotine place preference in a biased conditioned place preference design
Jennifer M Brielmaier1, Craig G McDonald, Robert F Smith
1Department of Psychology, George Mason University, MS 3F5, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA.
Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior
|December 19, 2007
Summary
Nicotine can create a conditioned place preference (CPP) in rats, but the interpretation is complicated by its anxiety-related effects. This study suggests nicotine
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Pharmacology
- Addiction Research
Background:
- Conditioned place preference (CPP) is a common method for assessing drug reward.
- Nicotine-induced CPP can be influenced by the conditioning procedure and the drug's anxiolytic/anxiogenic effects.
- Interpreting nicotine's role in CPP requires accounting for potential anxiety-related confounds.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the rewarding effects of nicotine in establishing conditioned place preference (CPP) in male rats.
- To differentiate between nicotine's rewarding effects and its potential to reduce aversion in CPP.
- To examine the influence of pre-existing chamber aversion on nicotine-induced CPP.
Main Methods:
- A biased CPP procedure was used with three groups of male rats: paired nicotine/saline, counterbalanced nicotine/saline, and saline control.
- Nicotine injections were paired with one chamber, while saline was paired with the other in the paired group.
- Preference for chambers was assessed after the conditioning period.
Main Results:
- Rats receiving nicotine paired with the non-preferred chamber showed a significant preference shift, indicating CPP.
- A counterbalanced group, receiving nicotine in both chambers, did not exhibit a significant preference shift.
- A negative correlation was observed between initial aversion to a chamber and the subsequent preference shift, suggesting stronger aversion enhances CPP formation.
Conclusions:
- Nicotine can establish CPP in rats, likely through its rewarding properties.
- The results suggest that nicotine's rewarding effects, rather than a reduction in aversion, are primarily responsible for CPP.
- Individual differences in initial aversion to a context may predict the strength of nicotine-induced CPP.
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