This study investigated the effects of repeated daily nicotine (0.35 mg/kg;
15 days) treatment on behavioral inhibition and locomotor activity in the
elevated plus-maze and on voluntary ethanol consumption. When challenged wi
th nicotine before: the test, rats pretreated with repeated nicotine spent
more time on and made more entries onto the open arms of an elevated plus-m
aze than did vehicle-pretreated animals. The ethanol preference and intake,
measured during 3 h after a nicotine injection, was also higher in the nic
otine-pretreated animals. In ethanol consumption experiments, there was a p
ositive correlation between the % time and % entries made onto open arms vs
. the ethanol preference and intake. However, no correlation between the to
tal number of entries made in the elevated plus-maze and the measures of et
hanol consumption was observed. These findings suggest that the ability of
repeated nicotine administration to increase ethanol consumption is related
to development of a nicotine-induced reduction of inhibitory control rathe
r than development of locomotor sensitization. (C) 2001 Published by Elsevi
er Science B.V.