Abstract
Nadia Chaudhri worked with us as a graduate student in the Center for Neuroscience at the University of Pittsburgh from 1999 until she earned her PhD in 2005, a time that coincided with the discovery in our lab of the dual reinforcing actions of nicotine, a concept that she played an important role in sha**. The research that was described in her doctoral thesis is among the foundational pillars of the now well-accepted notion that nicotine acts as both a primary reinforcer and an amplifier of other reinforcer stimuli. This reinforcement-enhancing action of nicotine is robust and likely to be a powerful driver of nicotine use. Below, we discuss the evidence that these two actions of nicotine — primary reinforcement and reinforcement enhancement — are distinct and dissociable, a finding that Nadia was closely associated with. We go on to address two other topics that greatly interested Nadia during that time, the generalizability of the reinforcement-enhancing action of nicotine to multiple classes of reinforcing stimuli and potential sex differences in the dual reinforcing actions of nicotine. The research has greatly expanded since Nadia’s involvement, but the core ideas that she helped to develop remain central to the concept of the dual reinforcing actions of nicotine and its importance for understanding the drivers of nicotine use.
![](http://media.springernature.com/m312/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1007%2Fs00213-022-06266-7/MediaObjects/213_2022_6266_Fig1_HTML.png)
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Acheson A, Mahler SV, Chi H, de Wit H (2006) Differential effects of nicotine on alcohol consumption in men and women. Psychopharmacology 186:54–63
Achterberg EJM, Vanderschuren L (2020) Treatment with low doses of nicotine but not alcohol affects social play reward in rats. Int J Play 9:39–57
Barnes SA, Sheffler DJ, Semenova S, Cosford NDP, Bespalov A (2018) Metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 as a target for the treatment of depression and smoking: robust preclinical data but inconclusive clinical efficacy. Biol Psychiat 83:955–962
Barret ST, Bevins RA (2013) Nicotine enhances operant responding for qualitatively distinct reinforcers under maintenance and extinction conditions. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 114:9–15
Barrett SP, Tichauer M, Leyton M, Pihl RO (2006) Nicotine increases alcohol self-administration in non-dependent male smokers. Drug Alcohol Depend 81:197–204
Barrett ST, Geary TN, Steiner AN, Bevins RA (2017) Sex differences and the role of dopamine receptors in the reward-enhancing effects of nicotine and bupropion. Psychopharmacology 234:187–198
Barrett ST, Geary TN, Steiner AN, Bevins RA (2018) A behavioral economic analysis of the value-enhancing effects of nicotine and varenicline and the role of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in male and female rats. Behav Pharmacol 29:493–502
Barrett ST, Thompson BM, Emory JR, Larsen CE, Pittenger ST, Harris EN, Bevins RA (2020) Sex differences in the reward-enhancing effects of nicotine on ethanol reinforcement: a reinforcer demand analysis. Nicotine Tob Res 22:238–247
Bechtholt AJ, Mark GP (2002) Enhancement of cocaine-seeking behavior by repeated nicotine exposure in rats. Psychopharmacology 162:178–185
Becker JB, Hu M (2008) Sex differences in drug abuse. Front Neuroendocrinol 29:36–47
Beckmann JS, Meyer AC, Pivavarchyk M, Horton DB, Zheng GR, Smith AM, Wooters TE, McIntosh JM et al (2015) r-bPiDI, an alpha 6 beta 2*Nicotinic receptor antagonist, decreases nicotine-evoked dopamine release and nicotine reinforcement. Neurochem Res 40:2121–2130
Besson M, David V, Suarez S, Cormier A, Cazala P, Changeux JP, Granon S (2006) Genetic dissociation of two behaviors associated with nicotine addiction: beta-2 containing nicotinic receptors are involved in nicotine reinforcement but not in withdrawal syndrome. Psychopharmacology 187:189–199
Bito-Onon JJ, Simms JA, Chatterjee S, Holgate J, Bartlett SE (2011) Varenicline, a partial agonist at neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, reduces nicotine-induced increases in 20% ethanol operant self-administration in Sprague-Dawley rats. Addict Biol 16:440–449
Blomqvist O, Ericson M, Johnson DH, Engel JA, Soderpalm B (1996) Voluntary ethanol intake in the rat: effects of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor blockade or subchronic nicotine treatment. Eur J Pharmacol 314:257–267
Brewer AJ, Mahoney JJ, Nerumalla CS, Newton TF, De La Garza R (2013) The influence of smoking cigarettes on the high and desire for cocaine among active cocaine users. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 106:132–136
Bruijnzeel AW, Markou A (2003) Characterization of the effects of bupropion on the reinforcing properties of nicotine and food in rats. Synapse 50:20–28
Brunzell D, Chang JR, Schneider B, Olausson P, Taylor JR, Picciotto M (2006) Beta 2-subunit-containing nicotinic acetylcholine receptors are involved in nicotine-induced increases in conditioned reinforcement but not progressive ratio responding for food in C57BL/6 mice. Psychopharmacology 184:328–338
Brunzell DH, Boschen KE, Hendrick ES, Beardsley PM, McIntosh JM (2010) Alpha-conotoxin MII-sensitive nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the nucleus accumbens shell regulate progressive ratio responding maintained by nicotine. Neuropsychopharmacology 35:665–673
Buffalari DM, Marfo NYA, Smith TT, Levin ME, Weaver MT, Thiels E, Sved AF, Donny EC (2014) Nicotine enhances the expression of a sucrose or cocaine conditioned place preference in adult male rats. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 124:320–325
Byars JA, Frost-Pineda K, Jacobs WS, Gold MS (2005) Naltrexone augments the effects of nicotine replacement therapy in female smokers. J Addict Dis 24:49–60
Caggiula AR, Donny EC, Palmatier MI, Liu X, Chaudhri N, Sved AF (2009) The role of nicotine in smoking: a dual-reinforcement model. Nebr Symp Motiv 55:91–109
Cahir E, Pillidge K, Drago J, Lawrence AJ (2011) The necessity of alpha 4* nicotinic receptors in nicotine-driven behaviors: dissociation between reinforcing and motor effects of nicotine. Neuropsychopharmacology 36:1505–1517
Carroll ME, Anker JJ (2010) Sex differences and ovarian hormones in animal models of drug dependence. Horm Behav 58:44–56
Chaudhri N, Caggiula AR, Donny EC, Booth S, Gharib MA, Craven LA, Allen SS, Sved AF et al (2005) Sex differences in the contribution of nicotine and nonpharmacological stimuli to nicotine self-administration in rats. Psychopharmacology 180:258–266
Chaudhri N, Caggiula AR, Donny EC, Booth S, Gharib M, Craven L, Palmatier MI, Liu X et al (2006a) Operant responding for conditioned and unconditioned reinforcers in rats is differentially enhanced by the primary reinforcing and reinforcement-enhancing effects of nicotine. Psychopharmacology 189:27–36
Chaudhri N, Caggiula AR, Donny EC, Palmatier MI, Liu X, Sved AF (2006b) Complex interactions between nicotine and nonpharmacological stimuli reveal multiple roles for nicotine in reinforcement. Psychopharmacology 184:353–366
Chaudhri N, Caggiula AR, Donny EC, Booth S, Gharib M, Craven L, Palmatier MI, Liu X et al (2007) Self-administered and noncontingent nicotine enhance reinforced operant responding in rats: impact of nicotine dose and reinforcement schedule. Psychopharmacology 190:353–362
Chaudhri N (2005) Complex interactions between nicotine and nonpharmacological stimuli reveal a novel role for nicotine in reinforcement, University of Pittsburgh, 2005
Cheeta S, Irvine EE, Tucci S, Sandhu J, File SE (2001) In adolescence, female rats are more sensitive to the anxiolytic effect of nicotine than are male rats. Neuropsychopharmacology 25:601–607
Chiamulera C, Marzo CM, Balfour DJK (2017) Metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 as a potential target for smoking cessation. Psychopharmacology 234:1357–1370
Cippitelli A, Wu JH, Gaiolini KA, Mercatelli D, Schoch J, Gorman M, Ramirez A, Ciccocioppo R et al (2015) AT-1001: a high-affinity alpha 3 beta 4 nAChR ligand with novel nicotine-suppressive pharmacology. Br J Pharmacol 172:1834–1845
Clark A, Lindgren S, Brooks SP, Watson WP, Little HJ (2001) Chronic infusion of nicotine can increase operant self-administration of alcohol. Neuropharmacology 41:108–117
Coddington SB, Kraus EL, Palmatier MI, Caggiula AR, sved AF, Donny ED (2010) Effects of buprobion on the primary reinforcement and reinforcement enhancing effects of nicotine. Society for Nicotine and Tobacco Research annual meeting, February 24–27, 2010:POS4–18
Coe JW, Brooks PR, Vetelino MG, Wirtz MC, Arnold EP, Huang JH, Sands SB, Davis TI et al (2005) Varenicline: an alpha 4 beta 2 nicotinic receptor partial agonist for smoking cessation. J Med Chem 48:3474–3477
Constantin A, Clarke PBS (2018) Reinforcement enhancement by nicotine in adult rats: behavioral selectivity and relation to mode of delivery and blood nicotine levels. Psychopharmacology 235:641–650
Corrigall WA, Coen KM (1991a) Opiate antagonists reduce cocaine but not nicotine self-administration. Psychopharmacology 104:167–170
Corrigall WA, Coen KM (1991b) Selective dopamine antagonists reduce nicotine self-administration. Psychopharmacology 104:171–176
Corrigall WA, Coen KM, Adamson KL (1994) Self-administered nicotine activates the mesolimbic dopamine system through the ventral tegmental area. Brain Res 653:278–284
Cryan JF, Bruijnzeel AW, Skjei KL, Markou A (2003) Bupropion enhances brain reward function and reverses the affective and somatic aspects of nicotine withdrawal in the rat. Psychopharmacology 168:347–358
Dani JA, Bertrand D (2007) Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and nicotinic cholinergic mechanisms of the central nervous system. Annu Rev Pharmacol Toxicol 47:699–729
David SP, Chu IM, Lancaster T, Stead LF, Evins AE, Prochaska JJ (2014) Systematic review and meta-analysis of opioid antagonists for smoking cessation. Bmj Open 4
DeNoble VJ, Mele PC (2006) Intravenous nicotine self-administration in rats: effects of mecamylamine, hexamethonium and naloxone. Psychopharmacology 184:266–272
DiPalma D, Rezvani AH, Willette B, Wells C, Slade S, Hall BJ, Levin ED (2019) Persistent attenuation of nicotine self-administration in rats by co-administration of chronic nicotine infusion with the dopamine D-1 receptor antagonist SCH-23390 or the serotonin 5-HT2C agonist lorcaserin. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 176:16–22
Donny EC, Chaudhri N, Caggiula AR, Evans-Martin FF, Booth S, Gharib MA, Clements LA, Sved AF (2003) Operant responding for a visual reinforcer in rats is enhanced by noncontingent nicotine: implications for nicotine self-administration and reinforcement. Psychopharmacology 169:68–76
Epstein AM, King AC (2004) Naltrexone attenuates acute cigarette smoking behavior. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 77:29–37
Exley R, Maubourguet N, David V, Eddine R, Evrard A, Pons S, Marti F, Threlfell S et al (2011) Distinct contributions of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunit alpha 4 and subunit alpha 6 to the reinforcing effects of nicotine. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 108:7577–7582
Farquhar MJ, Latimer MP, Winn P (2012) Nicotine self-administered directly into the VTA by rats is weakly reinforcing but has strong reinforcement enhancing properties. Psychopharmacology 220:43–54
Flores RJ, Uribe KP, Swalve N, O’Dell LE (2019) Sex differences in nicotine intravenous self-administration: a meta-analytic review. Physiol Behav 203:42–50
Fridberg DJ, Cao DC, Grant JE, King AC (2014) Naltrexone improves quit rates, attenuates smoking urge, and reduces alcohol use in heavy drinking smokers attempting to quit smoking. Alcoholism-Clinical and Experimental Research 38:2622–2629
Garcia-Rivas V, Fiancette JF, Cannella N, Carbo-Gas M, Renault P, Tostain J, Deroche-Gamonet V (2019) Varenicline targets the reinforcing-enhancing effect of nicotine on its associated salient cue during nicotine self-administration in the rat. Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience 13
Glick SD, Maisonneuve IM, Kitchen BA (2002) Modulation of nicotine self-administration in rats by combination therapy with agents blocking alpha 3 beta 4 nicotinic receptors. Eur J Pharmacol 448:185–191
Gotti C, Clementi F (2004) Neuronal nicotinic receptors: from structure to pathology. Prog Neurobiol 74:363–396
Gotti C, Guiducci S, Tedesco V, Corbioli S, Zanetti L, Moretti M, Zanardi A, Rimondini R et al (2010) Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the mesolimbic pathway: primary role of ventral tegmental area alpha 6 beta 2*receptors in mediating systemic nicotine effects on dopamine release, locomotion, and reinforcement. J Neurosci 30:5311–5325
Grady SR, Drenan RM, Breining SR, Yohannes D, Wageman CR, Fedorov NB, McKinney S, Whiteaker P et al (2010) Structural differences determine the relative selectivity of nicotinic compounds for native alpha 4 beta 2*-, alpha 6 beta 2*-, alpha 3 beta 4*- and alpha 7-nicotine acetylcholine receptors. Neuropharmacology 58:1054–1066
Grottick AJ, Trube G, Corrigall WA, Huwyler J, Malherbe P, Wyler R, Higgins GA (2000) Evidence that nicotinic alpha(7) receptors are not involved in the hyperlocomotor and rewarding effects of nicotine. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 294:1112–1119
Guy EG, Fletcher PJ (2013) Nicotine-induced enhancement of responding for conditioned reinforcement in rats: role of prior nicotine exposure and alpha 4 beta 2 nicotinic receptors. Psychopharmacology 225:429–440
Guy EG, Fletcher PJ (2014) Responding for a conditioned reinforcer, and its enhancement by nicotine, is blocked by dopamine receptor antagonists and a 5-HT2C receptor agonist but not by a 5-HT2A receptor antagonist. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 125:40–47
Guy EG, Fisher DC, Higgins GA, Fletcher PJ (2014) Examination of the effects of varenicline, bupropion, lorcaserin, or naltrexone on responding for conditioned reinforcement in nicotine-exposed rats. Behav Pharmacol 25:775–783
Hall BJ, Slade S, Allenby C, Kutlu MG, Levin ED (2015) Neuro-anatomic map** of dopamine D-1 receptor involvement in nicotine self-administration in rats. Neuropharmacology 99:689–695
Harris AC, Muelken P, Smethells JR, Yershova K, Stepanov I, Olson TT, Kellar KJ, LeSage MG (2018) Effects of nicotine-containing and “nicotine-free” e-cigarette refill liquids on intracranial self-stimulation in rats. Drug Alcohol Depend 185:1–9
Harrison AA, Gasparini F, Markou A (2002) Nicotine potentiation of brain stimulation reward reversed by DH beta E and SCH 23390, but not by eticlopride, LY 314582 or MPEP in rats. Psychopharmacology 160:56–66
Hauser SR, Deehan GA, Toalston JE, Bell RL, McBride WJ, Rodd ZA (2014) Enhanced alcohol-seeking behavior by nicotine in the posterior ventral tegmental area of female alcohol-preferring (P) rats: modulation by serotonin-3 and nicotinic cholinergic receptors. Psychopharmacology 231:3745–3755
Honeycutt SC, Paladino MS, Camadine RD, Mukherjee A, Loney GC (2022) Acute nicotine treatment enhances compulsive-like remifentanil self-administration that persists despite contextual punishment. Addiction biology 27
Ikemoto S, Qin M, Liu ZH (2006) Primary reinforcing effects of nicotine are triggered from multiple regions both inside and outside the ventral tegmental area. J Neurosci 26:723–730
Ismayilova N, Shoaib M (2010) Alteration of intravenous nicotine self-administration by opioid receptor agonist and antagonists in rats. Psychopharmacology 210:211–220
Kenny PJ, Markou A (2006) Nicotine self-administration acutely activates brain reward systems and induces a long-lasting increase in reward sensitivity. Neuropsychopharmacology 31:1203–1211
King A, de Wit H, Riley RC, Cao DC, Niaura R, Hatsukami D (2006) Efficacy of naltrexone in smoking cessation: a preliminary study and an examination of sex differences. Nicotine Tob Res 8:671–682
King AC, Cao DC, O’Malley SS, Kranzler HR, Cai XC, deWit H, Matthews AK, Stachoviak RJ (2012) Effects of naltrexone on smoking cessation outcomes and weight gain in nicotine-dependent men and women. J Clin Psychopharmacol 32:630–636
King A, Cao DC, Zhang LJ, Rueger SY (2013) Effects of the opioid receptor antagonist naltrexone on smoking and related behaviors in smokers preparing to quit: a randomized controlled trial. Addiction 108:1836–1844
Kirshenbaum AP, Suhaka JA, Phillips JL, Pinto MVD (2016) Nicotine enhancement and reinforcer devaluation: interaction with opioid receptors. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 150:1–7
Kirshenbaum AP, Hughes JR (2021) Reinforcement enhancement by nicotine: a novel abuse-liability assessment of E-cigarettes in young adults. Experimental and clinical psychopharmacology
Krishnan-Sarin S, Meandzija B, O’Malley S (2003) Naltrexone and nicotine patch in smoking cessation: a preliminary study. Nicotine Tob Res 5:851–857
Le AD, Corrigall WA, Harding JWS, Juzytsch W, Li TK (2000) Involvement of nicotinic receptors in alcohol self-administration. Alcoholism-Clin Exp Res 24:155–163
Le AD, Wang A, Harding S, Juzytsch W, Shaham Y (2003) Nicotine increases alcohol self-administration and reinstates alcohol seeking in rats. Psychopharmacology 168:216–221
Le AD, Lo S, Harding S, Juzytsch W, Marinelli PW, Funk D (2010) Coadministration of intravenous nicotine and oral alcohol in rats. Psychopharmacology 208:475–486
Le AD, Funk D, Lo S, Coen K (2014) Operant self-administration of alcohol and nicotine in a preclinical model of co-abuse. Psychopharmacology 231:4019–4029
LeSage MG, Staley M, Muelken P, Smethells JR, Stepanov I, Vogel RI, Pentel PR, Harris AC (2016) Abuse liability assessment of an e-cigarette refill liquid using intracranial self-stimulation and self-administration models in rats. Drug Alcohol Depend 168:76–88
Levin ME, Weaver MT, Palmatier MI, Caggiula AR, Sved AF, Donny EC (2012) Varenicline dose dependently enhances responding for nonpharmacological reinforcers and attenuates the reinforcement-enhancing effects of nicotine. Nicotine Tob Res 14:299–305
Levine A, Huang YY, Drisaldi B, Griffin EA, Pollak DD, Xu SQ, Yin DQ, Schaffran C, et al. (2011) Molecular mechanism for a gateway drug: epigenetic changes initiated by nicotine prime gene expression by cocaine. Science Translational Medicine 3
Liechti ME, Markou A (2007) Interactive effects of the mGlu5 receptor antagonist MPEP and the mGlu2/3 receptor antagonist LY341495 on nicotine self-administration and reward deficits associated with nicotine withdrawal in rats. Eur J Pharmacol 554:164–174
Liu X, Jernigan C (2011) Activation of the opioid mu 1, but not delta or kappa, receptors is required for nicotine reinforcement in a rat model of drug self-administration. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 35:146–153
Liu X, Palmatier MI, Caggiula AR, Donny EC, Sved AF (2007) Reinforcement enhancing effect of nicotine and its attenuation by nicotinic antagonists in rats. Psychopharmacology 194:463–473
Liu X, Caggiula AR, Palmatier MI, Donny EC, Sved AF (2008) Cue-induced reinstatement of nicotine-seeking behavior in rats: effect of bupropion, persistence over repeated tests, and its dependence on training dose. Psychopharmacology 196:365–375
Liu X, Palmatier MI, Caggiula AR, Sved AF, Donny EC, Gharib M, Booth S (2009) Naltrexone attenuation of conditioned but not primary reinforcement of nicotine in rats. Psychopharmacology 202:589–598
Loney GC, Angelyn H, Cleary LM, Meyer PJ (2019) Nicotine produces a high-approach, low-avoidance phenotype in response to alcohol-associated cues in male rats. Alcoholism-Clin Exp Res 43:1284–1295
Loney GC, King CP, Meyer PJ (2021) Systemic nicotine enhances opioid self-administration and modulates the formation of opioid-associated memories partly through actions within the insular cortex. Scientific Reports 11
Lopez-Moreno JA, Trigo-Diaz JM, de Fonseca FR, Cuevas GG, de Heras RG, Galan IC, Navarro M (2004) Nicotine in alcohol deprivation increases alcohol operant self-administration during reinstatement. Neuropharmacology 47:1036–1044
Lynch WJ (2006) Sex differences in vulnerability to drug self-administration. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol 14:34–41
Maddux JMN, Chaudhri N (2017) Nicotine-induced enhancement of Pavlovian alcohol-seeking behavior in rats. Psychopharmacology 234:727–738
Madsen HB, Koghar HS, Pooters T, Massalas JS, Drago J, Lawrence AJ (2015) Role of alpha 4-and alpha 6-containing nicotinic receptors in the acquisition and maintenance of nicotine self-administration. Addict Biol 20:500–512
Manzardo AM, Stein L, Belluzzi JD (2002) Rats prefer cocaine over nicotine in a two-lever self-administration choice test. Brain Res 924:10–19
Markou A, Paterson NE (2001) The nicotinic antagonist methyllycaconitine has differential effects on nicotine self-administration and nicotine withdrawal in the rat. Nicotine Tob Res 3:361–373
Maskos U, Molles BE, Pons S, Besson M, Guiard BP, Guilloux JP, Evrard A, Cazala P et al (2005) Nicotine reinforcement and cognition restored by targeted expression of nicotinic receptors. Nature 436:103–107
McNealy KR, Houser SD, Barrett ST, Bevins RA (2022) Investigating sex differences and the effect of drug exposure order in the sensory reward-enhancing effects of nicotine and D-amphetamine alone and in combination. Neuropharmacology 202
Montanari C, Secci ME, Driskell A, McDonald KO, Schratz CL, Gilpin NW (2021) Chronic nicotine increases alcohol self-administration in adult male Wistar rats. Psychopharmacology 238:201–213
Negus SS, Miller LL (2014) Intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS) is a behavioral procedure in which operant responding is maintained by pulses of electrical brain stimulation. Pharmacol Rev 66:869–917
Neugebauer NM, Zhang Z, Crooks PA, Dwoskin LP, Bardo MT (2006) Effect of a novel nicotinic receptor antagonist, N, N ’-dodecane-1,12-diyl-bis-3-picolinium dibromide, on nicotine self-administration and hyperactivity in rats. Psychopharmacology 184:426–434
Norman H, D’Souza MS (2017) Endogenous opioid system: a promising target for future smoking cessation medications. Psychopharmacology 234:1371–1394
Olausson P, Ericson M, Lof E, Engel JA, Soderpalm B (2001) Nicotine-induced behavioral disinhibition and ethanol preference correlate after repeated nicotine treatment. Eur J Pharmacol 417:117–123
Olausson P, Jentsch JD, Taylor JR (2003) Repeated nicotine exposure enhances reward-related learning in the rat. Neuropsychopharmacology 28:1264–1271
Orejarena MJ, Herrera-Solis A, Pons S, Maskos U, Maldonado R, Robledo P (2012) Selective re-expression of beta 2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunits in the ventral tegmental area of the mouse restores intravenous nicotine self-administration. Neuropharmacology 63:235–241
Ortiz NC, O’Neill HC, Marks MJ, Grady SR (2012) Varenicline blocks beta 2*-nAChR-mediated response and activates beta 4*-nAChR-mediated responses in mice in vivo. Nicotine Tob Res 14:711–719
Palmatier MI, Evans-Martin FF, Hoffman A, Caggiula AR, Chaudhri N, Donny EC, Liu X, Booth S et al (2006) Dissociating the primary reinforcing and reinforcement-enhancing effects of nicotine using a rat self-administration paradigm with concurrently available drug and environmental reinforcers. Psychopharmacology 184:391–400
Palmatier MI, Liu X, Caggiula AR, Donny EC, Sved AF (2007) The role of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the primary reinforcing and reinforcement-enhancing effects of nicotine. Neuropsychopharmacology 32:1098–1108
Palmatier MI, Liu X, Donny EC, Caggiula AR, Sved AF (2008) Metabotropic glutamate 5 receptor (mGluR5) antagonists decrease nicotine seeking, but do not affect the reinforcement enhancing effects of nicotine. Neuropsychopharmacology 33:2139–2147
Palmatier MI, Levin ME, Mays KL, Donny EC, Caggiula AR, Sved AF (2009) Bupropion and nicotine enhance responding for nondrug reinforcers via dissociable pharmacological mechanisms in rats. Psychopharmacology 207:381–390
Palmatier MI, O’Brien LC, Hall MJ (2012) The role of conditioning history and reinforcer strength in the reinforcement enhancing effects of nicotine in rats. Psychopharmacology 219:1119–1131
Palmatier MI, Lantz JE, O’Brien LC, Metz SP (2013) Effects of nicotine on olfactogustatory incentives: preference, palatability, and operant choice tests. Nicotine Tob Res 15:1545–1554
Palmatier MI, Kellicut MR, Sheppard AB, Brown RW, Robinson DL (2014) The incentive amplifying effects of nicotine are reduced by selective and non-selective dopamine antagonists in rats. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 126:50–62
Palmatier MI, Smith AL, Odineal EM, Williams EA, Sheppard AB, Bradley CA (2020) Nicotine self-administration with tobacco flavor additives in male rats. Nicotine Tob Res 22:224–231
Palmisano AN, Astur RS (2020) Nicotine facilitation of conditioned place preference to food reward in humans. Subst Use Misuse 55:2156–2164
Paterson NE (2009) Behavioural and pharmacological mechanisms of bupropion’s anti-smoking effects: recent preclinical and clinical insights. Eur J Pharmacol 603:1–11
Paterson NE, Markou A (2005) The metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 antagonist MPEP decreased break points for nicotine, cocaine and food in rats. Psychopharmacology 179:255–261
Paterson NE, Semenova S, Gasparini F, Markou A (2003) The mGluR5 antagonist MPEP decreased nicotine self-administration in rats and mice. Psychopharmacology 167:257–264
Paterson NE, Balfour DJK, Markou A (2008) Chronic bupropion differentially alters the reinforcing, reward-enhancing and conditioned motivational properties of nicotine in rats. Nicotine Tob Res 10:995–1008
Patten T, De Biasi M (2020) History repeats itself: role of characterizing flavors on nicotine use and abuse. Neuropharmacology 177
Perkins KA, Karelitz JL (2013a) Influence of reinforcer magnitude and nicotine amount on smoking’s acute reinforcement enhancing effects. Drug Alcohol Depend 133:167–171
Perkins KA, Karelitz JL (2013b) Reinforcement enhancing effects of nicotine via smoking. Psychopharmacology 228:479–486
Perkins KA, Karelitz JL (2014) Sensory reinforcement-enhancing effects of nicotine via smoking. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol 22:511–516
Perkins KA, Karelitz JL (2016) Potential sex differences in the pattern of sensory reinforcers enhanced by nicotine. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol 24:156–161
Perkins KA, Karelitz JL, Michael VC (2015) Reinforcement enhancing effects of acute nicotine via electronic cigarettes. Drug Alcohol Depend 153:104–108
Perkins KA, Karelitz JL, Boldry MC (2019) Reinforcement enhancing effects of nicotine via patch and nasal spray. Nicotine Tob Res 21:778–783
Perkins KA, Karelitz JL, Boldry MC (2017) Nicotine acutely enhances reinforcement from non-drug rewards in humans. Frontiers in Psychiatry 8
Picciotto MR, Zoli M, Rimondini R, Lena C, Marubio LM, Pich EM, Fuxe K, Changeux JP (1998) Acetylcholine receptors containing the beta 2 subunit are involved in the reinforcing properties of nicotine. Nature 391:173–177
Pons S, Fattore L, Cossu G, Tolu S, Porcu E, McIntosh JM, Changeux JP, Maskos U et al (2008) Crucial role of alpha 4 and alpha 6 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunits from ventral tegmental area in systemic nicotine self-administration. J Neurosci 28:12318–12327
Potthoff AD, Ellison G, Nelson L (1983) Ethanol intake increases during continuous administration of amphetamine and nicotine, but not several other drugs. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 18:489–493
Rajabi A, Dehghani M, Shojaei A, Forjam M, Motevalian SA (2019) Association between tobacco smoking and opioid use: a meta-analysis. Addict Behav 92:225–235
Rauhut AS, Neugebauer N, Dwoskin LP, Bardo MT (2003) Effect of bupropion on nicotine self-administration in rats. Psychopharmacology 169:1–9
Reid MS, Mickalian JD, Delucchi KL, Hall SM, Berger SP (1998) An acute dose of nicotine enhances cue-induced cocaine craving. Drug Alcohol Depend 49:95–104
Rollema H, Chambers LK, Coe JW, Glowa J, Hurst RS, Lebel LA, Lu Y, Mansbach RS et al (2007) Pharmacological profile of the alpha(4)beta(2) nicotinic acetylcholine receptor partial agonist varenicline, an effective smoking cessation aid. Neuropharmacology 52:985–994
Romberg AR, Lo EJM, Barton AA, **ao HJ, Vallone DM, Hair EC (2019) Cigarette smoking, prescription opioid use and misuse among young adults: an exploratory analysis. Preventive medicine 129
Rupprecht LE, Smith TT, Schassburger RL, Buffalari DM, Sved AF, Donny EC (2015) Behavioral mechanisms underlying nicotine reinforcement. Curr Top Behav Neurosci 24:19–53
Rupprecht LE, Smith TT, Schassburger RL, Donny EC, Sved AF (2016) Effects of nicotine on rewards varying in palatability and caloric value: implications for E-cigarette flavoring Tobacco Regulatory. Science 2:343–351
Satanove DJ, Rahman S, Chan TMV, Ren S, Clarke PBS (2021) Nicotine-induced enhancement of a sensory reinforcer in adult rats: antagonist pretreatment effects. Psychopharmacology 238:475–486
Schassburger RL, Levin ME, Weaver MT, Palmatier MI, Caggiula AR, Donny EC, Sved AF (2015) Differentiating the primary reinforcing and reinforcement-enhancing effects of varenicline. Psychopharmacology 232:975–983
Schassburger RL, Pitzer EM, Smith TT, Rupprecht LE, Thiels E, Donny EC, Sved AF (2016) Adolescent rats self-administer less nicotine than adults at low doses. Nicotine Tob Res
Sharpe AL, Samson HH (2002) Repeated nicotine injections decrease operant ethanol self-administration. Alcohol (Fayetteville, NY 28:1–7
Shoaib M, Sidhpura N, Shafait S (2003) Investigating the actions of bupropion on dependence-related effects of nicotine in rats. Psychopharmacology 165:405–412
Shoptaw S, Jarvik ME, Ling W, Rawson RA (1996) Contingency management for tobacco smoking in methadone-maintained opiate addicts. Addict Behav 21:409–412
Skurtveit S, Furu K, Selmer R, Handal M, Tverdal A (2010) Nicotine Dependence predicts repeated use of prescribed opioids. Prospective population-based cohort study. Ann Epidemiol 20:890–897
Smith BR, Horan JT, Gaskin S, Amit Z (1999) Exposure to nicotine enhances acquisition of ethanol drinking by laboratory rats in a limited access paradigm. Psychopharmacology 142:408–412
Smith TT, Levin ME, Schassburger RL, Buffalari DM, Sved AF, Donny EC (2013) Gradual and immediate nicotine reduction result in similar low-dose nicotine self-administration. Nicotine Tob Res 15:1918–1925
Stairs DJ, Dworkin SI (2008) Rate-dependent effects of bupropion on nicotine self-administration and food-maintained responding in rats. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 90:701–711
Stairs DJ, Neugebauer NM, Bardo MT (2010) Nicotine and cocaine self-administration using a multiple schedule of intravenous drug and sucrose reinforcement in rats. Behav Pharmacol 21:182–193
Stringfield SJ, Sanders BE, Suppo JA, Sved AF, Torregrossa MM (2022) Nicotine enhances intravenous self-administration of cannabinoids and saline in adult rats. https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.10.06.510908v1
Swalve N, Barrett ST, Bevins RA, Li M (2015) Examining the reinforcement-enhancement effects of phencyclidine and its interactions with nicotine on lever-pressing for a visual stimulus. Behav Brain Res 291:253–259
Tannous S, Darlot F, Cador M, Caille S (2021) Flavor additives facilitate oral self-administration of nicotine solution in mice. Psychopharmacology 238:2235–2247
Tapper AR, McKinney SL, Nashmi R, Schwarz J, Deshpande P, Labarca C, Whiteaker P, Marks MJ et al (2004) Nicotine activation of alpha 4*receptors: sufficient for reward, tolerance, and sensitization. Science 306:1029–1032
Teper Y, Whyte D, Cahir E, Lester HA, Grady SR, Marks MJ, Cohen BN, Fonck C et al (2007) Nicotine-induced dystonic arousal complex in a mouse line harboring a human autosomal-dominant nocturnal frontal lobe epilepsy mutation. J Neurosci 27:10128–10142
Tessari M, Pilla M, Andreoli M, Hutcheson DM, Heidbreder CA (2004) Antagonism at metabotropic glutamate 5 receptors inhibits nicotine- and cocaine-taking behaviours and prevents nicotine-triggered relapse to nicotine-seeking. Eur J Pharmacol 499:121–133
Thiel KJ, Sanabria F, Neisewander JL (2009) Synergistic interaction between nicotine and social rewards in adolescent male rats. Psychopharmacology 204:391–402
Toll L, Zaveri NT, Polgar WE, Jiang FM, Khroyan TV, Zhou W, **e XM, Stauber GB et al (2012) AT-1001: a high affinity and selective alpha 3 beta 4 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor antagonist blocks nicotine self-administration in rats. Neuropsychopharmacology 37:1367–1376
Tronci V, Vronskaya S, Montgomery N, Mura D, Balfour DJK (2010) The effects of the mGluR5 receptor antagonist 6-methyl-2-(phenylethynyl)-pyridine (MPEP) on behavioural responses to nicotine. Psychopharmacology 211:33–42
Wooters TE, Smith AM, Pivavarchyk M, Siripurapu KB, McIntosh JM, Zhang ZF, Crooks PA, Bardo MT et al (2011) bPiDI: a novel selective alpha 6 beta 2* nicotinic receptor antagonist and preclinical candidate treatment for nicotine abuse. Br J Pharmacol 163:346–357
Zale EL, Dorfman ML, Hooten WM, Warner DO, Zvolensky MJ, Ditre JW (2015) Tobacco smoking, nicotine dependence, and patterns of prescription opioid misuse: results from a nationally representative sample. Nicotine Tob Res 17:1096–1103
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no competing interests.
Additional information
Publisher's note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
This article belongs to a Special Issue on Conditioned Determinants of Reward Seeking
The author Anthony R. Caggiula is retired
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Sved, A.F., Caggiula, A.R. & Donny, E.C. Elucidating the reinforcing effects of nicotine: a tribute to Nadia Chaudhri. Psychopharmacology 240, 417–430 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-022-06266-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-022-06266-7