Nicotine influences the motor performance of immature rats in two different sensorimotor tasks

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of nicotine on motor performance of immature (12-day-old) rats. We used two sensorimotor tasks (surface righting response and negative geotaxis test) to evaluate the influence of nicotine on animal's motor activity in course of 24 hours. Animals were treated intraperitoneally with two different nicotine doses (0.5 mg/kg and 1.0 mg/kg) and tested in four sessions (1 minute, 10 minutes, 1 hour and 24 hours after the injection). We concluded that nicotine significantly influences the motor behaviour in 12-day-old rats and this effect is dose dependent.