Modeling nicotine addiction in rats.
Among the human population, 15% of drug users develop a pathological drug addiction. This figure increases substantially with nicotine, whereby more than 30% of those who try smoking develop a nicotine addiction. Drug addiction is characterized by compulsive drug-seeking and drug-taking behaviors (craving), and loss of control over intake despite impairment in health, social, and occupational functions. This behavior can be accurately modeled in the rat using an intravenous self-administration (IVSA) paradigm. Initial attempts at establishing nicotine self-administration had been problematic, yet in recent times increasingly reliable models of nicotine self-administration have been developed. The present article reviews different characteristics of the nicotine IVSA model that has been developed to examine nicotine reinforcing and motivational properties in rats.
CNRS UMR 5287, "Neuropsychopharmacology of Addiction" Group, University of Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France. Stephanie.garnier@u-bordeaux2.fr
Stephanie
S
Caille
Kelly
K
Clemens
Luis
L
Stinus
Martine
M
Cador
D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D003216:Conditioning, Operant; D023421:Models, Animal; D009538:Nicotine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012646:Self Administration; D012907:Smoking; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder
D009538:Nicotine