Squirrel monkeys pressed a level at high rates under a second-order schedule of reinforcement in which level pressing produced a brief visual stimulus that was occasionally contiguous with an intravenous injection of nicotine. The rate of lever pressing could be markedly reduced either by substituting saline for nicotine injections or by blocking the effects of nicotine with mecamylamine. The rate of level pressing could be reduced by eliminating the brief visual stimulus. These results show that nicotine can function as an effective reinforcer under a second-order schedule of drug self-administration and that an environmental stimulus associated with nicotine intake can contribute to the maintenance of persistent drug-seeking behavior.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.