title: Effects of acute administration of nicotine, amphetamine, diazepam, morphine, and ethanol on risky decision-making in rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Most individuals can accurately assess the risks and rewards associated with choice alternatives and decide accordingly; however, drug users often display maladaptive decision-making, such that choices are biased toward excessively risky options.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a range of drugs of abuse on risky decision-making.
  
  
  METHODS
  Male Long-Evans rats were trained in the Risky Decision-Making Task, in which they chose between two levers, one which produced a small, "safe" food reward and the other which produced a large, "risky" food reward. The large reward was accompanied by the risk of a mild footshock, the probability of which increased over the course of each test session (0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nicotine (0.6 mg/kg) and amphetamine (1.5 mg/kg) caused a significant decrease in choice of the large risky reward (decreased risk taking). Diazepam (1.0 mg/kg) caused a significant increase in choice of the large risky reward (increased risk taking), whereas morphine (3.0 mg/kg) caused only a trend toward increased choice of the large risky reward. Ethanol had no effect on choice behavior.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results show that acute administration of drugs of abuse can modulate risk taking in a drug-specific manner, either increasing or decreasing preference for highly rewarding, but risky, options.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, McKnight Brain Institute, University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, FL 32610-0256, USA.
authors.forename: Marci R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.forename: Colin M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Vokes
authors.forename: Amy L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Blankenship
authors.forename: Nicholas W
authors.initials: NW
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.forename: Barry
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Setlow
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002755:Choice Behavior / Q000187:drug effects*; D003657:Decision Making / Q000187:drug effects*; D004597:Electroshock; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D020318:Rats, Long-Evans; D012201:Reward; D012309:Risk-Taking; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology*