Adolescent exposure to nicotine alters the aversive effects of cocaine in adult rats.
Nicotine is one of the most commonly used drugs in adolescence and has been shown to alter the rewarding effects of cocaine when administered in adulthood. Although the abuse potential of a drug has been suggested to be a balance between its rewarding and aversive effects, the long-term effects of nicotine on the aversive properties of other drugs had not been studied. To that end, in the present study rats exposed to nicotine (0.4 mg/kg) during adolescence (postnatal days 35-44) were tested for the acquisition and extinction of a cocaine-induced conditioned taste aversion (10, 18 or 32 mg/kg) in adulthood. Conditioning consisted of four saccharin-drug pairings followed by six extinction trials. Although cocaine-induced aversions at all doses, no effect of nicotine preexposure was seen during acquisition. During extinction, the nicotine-preexposed groups conditioned with 10 and 18 mg/kg cocaine displayed a decreased rate of extinction compared to their respective controls. These results suggest that while adolescent nicotine exposure does not appear to directly alter the aversive properties of cocaine it may affect other processes related to the response to drugs given in adulthood.
Psychopharmacology Laboratory, Department of Psychology, American University, Washington, DC 20016, USA. hutchison.ma@gmail.com
Mary Anne
MA
Hutchison
Anthony L
AL
Riley
D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D001923:Brain Chemistry / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D003042:Cocaine / Q000009:adverse effects*; D019970:Cocaine-Related Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D018765:Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004357:Drug Synergism; D005108:Extinction, Psychological / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D009538:Nicotine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013649:Taste / Q000187:drug effects
D018765:Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists; D009538:Nicotine; D003042:Cocaine