Introduction: Numerous studies have shown that nicotine (NIC) can enhance the reinforcing effects of non-NIC stimuli through a nonassociative mechanism. To date, it is unclear whether NIC reinforcement enhancement serves to increase behaviors motivated by rewarding stimuli only, or whether NIC potentiates behavior motivated by all stimuli, regardless of valence.
Methods: The current study used a place conditioning procedure to examine whether acute NIC injection modulates avoidance of an environment previously associated with an aversive stimulus. Separate groups of rats underwent place conditioning using either lithium chloride (125mg/kg/ml, i.p.) or footshock (0.75 mA) as the aversive stimulus. Other rats served as nonconditioned controls. The magnitude of place avoidance was assessed after acute NIC (0.1 or 0.4mg/kg/ml, s.c.) or saline.
Results: Rats avoided chambers previously paired with either lithium chloride or footshock, and conditioned place avoidance was significantly enhanced by NIC pre-treatment.
Conclusions: These results demonstrate that the ability of NIC to enhance motivated behavior extends to behaviors elicited by aversive stimuli, evidence that NIC affects behavior motivated by a broader range of stimuli than previously appreciated.
Implications: The current study examined whether the reinforcement enhancement properties of NIC apply to aversive stimuli by testing NIC enhancement of conditioned place avoidance in rats. The results demonstrate that NIC enhances the motivational impact of these distinct aversive stimuli, providing novel evidence that NIC affects behavior motivated by a broader range of stimuli than has previously been demonstrated.
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