Abstract
The aim of the present study was to further evaluate effects of ethanol on nicotine discrimination and to correlate these effects with blood ethanol levels. Rats were trained to discriminate 0.3 mg/kg nicotine from its vehicle in the standard two-lever operant procedure. In antagonism tests, small doses of ethanol (0.25–0.5 g/kg) were injected either 5 or 50 min before nicotine. Both doses of ethanol partially antagonized the nicotine cue regardless of the pre-treatment time. Ethanol attenuated also inhibitory effects of nicotine on the rate of responding. Suppression of the cueing effects of nicotine was noted even 60 min after the injection of 0.25 g/kg ethanol, i.e. at the time point when the blood ethanol level was close to zero. Ethanol-induced antagonism of the nicotine cue disappeared when longer time (110 min) was allowed to elapse between the ethanol (0.5 g/kg) and nicotine injection. Concluding, the present results may indicate that the effects of ethanol on nicotine discrimination are not primarily related to blood ethanol levels.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.