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Nicotine-induced acute tolerance: studies involving schedule-controlled behavior
J A Rosecrans1, J L Wiley, C E Bass
1Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond 23298, USA.
Brain Research Bulletin
|January 1, 1995
Summary
A single dose of nicotine can create acute tolerance to its own disruptive effects on rat behavior. This tolerance appears to be primarily pharmacological, not behavioral, suggesting receptor desensitization.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Behavioral Pharmacology
Background:
- Nicotine is a psychoactive stimulant with complex effects on behavior.
- Understanding acute tolerance to nicotine is crucial for its study in neuroscience and addiction research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate acute tolerance to nicotine-induced disruption of operant behavior in rats.
- To differentiate between pharmacological and behavioral mechanisms of acute nicotine tolerance.
Main Methods:
- Rats were trained on a fixed ratio-30 schedule for food reinforcement.
- A priming dose of nicotine (0.8 mg/kg) was administered noncontingently in home cages.
- After a delay, a challenge dose of nicotine (0.4 mg/kg) was administered before a behavioral evaluation.
Main Results:
- The priming dose of 0.8 mg/kg nicotine induced acute tolerance to the response-rate-decreasing effects of a subsequent 0.4 mg/kg nicotine challenge.
- Tolerance was observed even when the priming dose was given outside the operant testing environment.
Conclusions:
- Acute tolerance to nicotine's behavioral effects can occur following a single, noncontingent injection.
- The observed tolerance is likely pharmacological, potentially involving desensitization of central nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs).