Concurrent Self-administration of Alcohol and Nicotine in an Operant Paradigm

Rationale and objectives: Alcohol and nicotine are the most commonly abused drugs and they are often taken together. To help address some of clinical issues regarding nicotine and alcohol co-dependence, a procedure in which rats self-administer nicotine intravenously and alcohol orally during the same operant session has been developed. Methods: Male Wistar rats were trained to self-administer alcohol (12%, w/v; 0.19 ml/delivery) or implanted with jugular catheters and trained to self-administer nicotine (30 μg/kg IV/infusion) by pressing a lever or were trained to self-administer both drugs, some with alcohol first, and others with nicotine first. Results: Animals readily coadministered alcohol and nicotine concurrently. Access to alcohol reduced nicotine selfadministration significantly. Conclusions: These results show that rats will self-administer relevant amounts of intravenous nicotine and oral alcohol concurrently. They also provide further support for the important relationship between nicotine and alcohol.MAS