title: Juvenile play experience does not affect nicotine sensitization and voluntary consumption of nicotine in adult rats.
abstract: Juvenile play experiences promote behavioral flexibility in rats. If other early positive experiences, such as tactile stimulation, are given prior to exposure to psychostimulants, the behavioral response to the drug is attenuated. The objective of the present study was to determine if the experience of juvenile play behavior would attenuate the response to nicotine. Two experiments were conducted: (1) behavioral sensitization to nicotine exposure, and (2) voluntary consumption of nicotine. For both experiments, rats were reared either with three same-sex peers (play group) or one adult (no play group) during their juvenile period. Then, as adults, half of each group was exposed to repeated injections of nicotine and the other half to saline. Prior play experience had no effect on behavioral sensitization or on voluntary consumption of nicotine. It remains to be determined whether juvenile experience with play influences the rewarding properties of nicotine in social contexts as adults.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: B T
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Himmler
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nakahashi
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Snow
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: McMickle
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Muhammad
authors.forename: K D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Biondolillo
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Pellis
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kolb
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D009538:Nicotine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D010988:Play and Playthings; D051381:Rats; D012201:Reward; D012646:Self Administration
chemical_list: D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D009538:Nicotine
keywords: drug sensitization; nicotine; play behavior; rats; self-administration