P and NP rats respond differently to the discriminative stimulus effects of nicotine

• Published in: Pharmacology, biochemistry and behavior Vol. 45; no. 2; p. 305
• Main Authors: Gordon, T L, Meehan, S M, Schechter, M D
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01-06-1993
• Subjects: Alcoholism - genetics; Animals; Discrimination Learning - drug effects; Discrimination Learning - physiology; Drug Tolerance - genetics; Ethanol - administration & dosage; Ethanol - pharmacology; Genetics, Behavioral; Male; Nicotine - administration & dosage; Nicotine - pharmacology; Rats
• ISSN: 0091-3057
• DOI: 10.1016/0091-3057(93)90243-M

Rats selectively bred for ethanol preference, that is, alcohol-preferring (P) and -nonpreferring (NP) rats, were trained to discriminate the interoceptive stimuli produced by IP-administered 1,000 mg/kg ethanol (10% v/v) in a two-lever, food-motivated, operant task. Once criterion performance was attained, dose-response experiments indicated an ED50 value for P rats = 354.1 mg/kg, whereas NP rats generated an ED50 value of 495.1 mg/kg, not significantly different from each other. In contrast to these similar sensitivities to ethanol, administration of doses of nicotine (0.4-1.2 mg/kg, SC) indicated that P rats were significantly more sensitive to the ethanol-like effects of nicotine than were NP rats. The results provide additional evidence for a possible hereditary co-occurrence of alcohol and nicotine sensitivity.