SEX DIFFERENCES IN CONDITIONING OF NICOTINE-ASSOCIATED CUES

Smoking cessation success rates are lower in females. Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) increases smoking cessation, but successful quit rates remain low. NRT studies demonstrate the complexity of the smoking experience and support the importance of nicotine-associated cues in driving smoking behaviors. The conditioning of nicotine-associated cues represents a potential mechanism through which smoking-related cues may become differentially reinforcing and males and females. AIM: The current study assesses whether nicotine-associated stimuli become conditioned reinforcers and whether this occurs differently across sexes. HYPOTHESIS: A cue associated with nicotine delivery will become conditioned reinforcers and support higher responding on a novel response than a cue not previously associated with nicotine. Conditioning will be greater in females. METHOD: Sprague-Dawley rats (92 m, 92 f) responded on nose pokes for 32 conditioning sessions. Animals in the experimental group (NIC+CS) responded on the active nose poke for a presentation of a 15s white light (CS) accompanied by an infusion of nicotine (NIC). Animals in control groups responded for a NIC (NIC-Only) infusion, the CS (CS-Only) accompanied by a saline infusion, the CS in the presence of yoked NIC (YN+CS), or no reinforcer (Activity-Only). After conditioning, nose pokes were replaced with levers. All animals responded for the CS for 5 sessions. STATISTICAL ANALYSES: Group and sex Differences in the number of reinforcers earned were assessed using pairwise ANOVA comparisons. Findings with p<0.05 were considered significant. RESULTS: During conditioning, NIC-Only animals (F=46.8, p