The generality of nicotine as a reinforcer enhancer in rats: effects on responding maintained by primary and conditioned reinforcers and resistance to extinction

Abstract

Although there was a tendency for nicotine to increase low predrug response rates (i.e., response rates just prior to nicotine administration), 0.3 and 0.56 mg/kg nicotine systematically increased responding maintained by conditioned reinforcers. The results are consistent with a reinforcer-enhancing role of nicotine. However, nicotine did not increase resistance to extinction, nor did it increase food-maintained responses. Nicotine may selectively increase responding maintained by moderately reinforcing stimuli, such as the conditioned reinforcers used in the present study.

Effects of Varenicline on Ethanol- and Food-Maintained Responding in a Concurrent Access Procedure

“…Rate-dependent effects have been observed for many drugs, whereby the same dose of a drug can increase responding maintained at lower rates while not affecting behavior maintained at higher rates (Kelleher and Morse, 1968). While rate-dependent effects of varenicline have not been reported, rate dependent effects of nicotine (0.3 and 0.56 mg/kg) have been reported (Raiff and Dallery, 2008), and the present results are entirely consistent with this possibility.…”

Facilitation of intravenous nicotine self-administration in rats by a motivationally neutral sensory stimulus

“…The latter are frequently reinforcing in their own right (Stewart 1960;Stewart and Hurwitz 1958) and can also acquire secondary reinforcing properties (Cohen et al 2005;Palmatier et al 2007a). Nicotine increases the efficacy of a variety of primary and secondary nondrug reinforcers (Brunzell et al 2006;Chaudhri et al 2006c;Clarke and Kumar 1984;Olausson et al 2004a, c;Palmatier et al 2007a; Raiff and Dallery 2008), and in rodent self-administration studies, nicotine synergizes with drug-paired cues through a process termed "reinforcement enhancement" (Caggiula et al 2002(Caggiula et al , 2009Donny et al 2003). Both response-contingent and noncontingent administration of nicotine enhances responding for such stimuli (Caggiula et al 2009;Chaudhri et al 2006a, b;Donny et al 2003;Palmatier et al 2006Palmatier et al , 2007a.…”

Possible Reinforcement Enhancing Effects of Bupropion During Initial Smoking Abstinence

“…drug cues) reinforcing effects (Caggiula et al, 2001;Corrigall, 1999;Fowler & Kenny, 2011), animal research indicates that nicotine may enhance the reinforcing value of rewards, especially sensory stimuli, that are independent of nicotine intake Donny et al, 2003;Olausson, Jentsch, & Taylor, 2004;Raiff & Dallery, 2008). Support in humans for this reinforcement enhancing effect of nicotine is suggestive but perhaps specific to reward type, dependence level, measure of reinforcement, or other procedural factors (e.g.…”

“…visual stimuli) but not nonsensory (e.g. food) rewards Raiff & Dallery, 2008). We also related reinforced responding to craving and withdrawal to examine potential associations with symptoms of abstinence (e.g.…”