Sex differences in conditioned nicotine reward are age-specific.
Women constitute half of all smokers and many studies suggest that adult males and females differ in factors that maintain tobacco smoking, yet there is limited information about sex differences in nicotine reward during adolescence. Limited studies suggest that adolescent male rats self-administer more nicotine than adults, suggesting that drug administration during adolescence leads to different behavioral effects than during adulthood. In the present study, male rats developed a significant conditioned place preference (CPP) to lower doses of nicotine than females, regardless of age. In addition, adolescents were more sensitive than adults. In female rats, adolescents exhibited a CPP of greater magnitude than adult females. In males, the magnitude of the CPP did not differ as a function of age, but adolescents exhibited CPP to lower doses than adults. There also were differences in nicotinic acetylcholinergic receptor binding in nucleus accumbens and caudate putamen in response to nicotine across age and sex. These findings suggest that it is necessary to consider sex- and age-specific effects of drugs such as nicotine when developing strategies for improving smoking cessation treatments.
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, 1600 NW 10th Avenue, Rm 4113A (D-80), Miami, FL 33136, USA.
Magalie
M
Lenoir
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, 1600 NW 10th Avenue, Rm 4113A (D-80), Miami, FL 33136, USA.
Amy K
AK
Starosciak
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, 1600 NW 10th Avenue, Rm 4113A (D-80), Miami, FL 33136, USA.
Jennifer
J
Ledon
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, 1600 NW 10th Avenue, Rm 4113A (D-80), Miami, FL 33136, USA.
Caitlin
C
Booth
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, 1600 NW 10th Avenue, Rm 4113A (D-80), Miami, FL 33136, USA.
Elena
E
Zakharova
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, 1600 NW 10th Avenue, Rm 4113A (D-80), Miami, FL 33136, USA.
Dean
D
Wade
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, 1600 NW 10th Avenue, Rm 4113A (D-80), Miami, FL 33136, USA.
Beatrice
B
Vignoli
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, 1600 NW 10th Avenue, Rm 4113A (D-80), Miami, FL 33136, USA. Electronic address: sizenwasser@med.miami.edu.
Sari
S
Izenwasser
Adolescence; Conditioned place preference; Nicotine; Nicotinic receptors; Reward