P and NP rats respond differently to the discriminative stimulus effects of nicotine.
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.
Gordon
T L
TL
Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine, Rootstown 44272.
Meehan
S M
SM
Schechter
M D
MD
D000437:Alcoholism / Q000235:genetics; D000818:Animals; D004193:Discrimination Learning / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D004361:Drug Tolerance / Q000235:genetics; D000431:Ethanol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005824:Genetics, Behavioral; D008297:Male; D009538:Nicotine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats
D000431:Ethanol; D009538:Nicotine