Alcohol-preferring (P) rats are more sensitive than Wistar rats to the reinforcing effects of cocaine self-administered directly into the nucleus accumbens shell

► P rats self-infused 200-800 pmol and Wistar rats only self-infused 800 pmol cocaine. ► P rats received more cocaine infusions compared to Wistar rats during acquisition. ► P rats infused more cocaine than Wistar rats during reinstatement. ► Compared to Wistar rats, the AcbSh of P rats was more sensitive to cocaine. ► The AcbSh of P rats may have become sensitized to the reinforcing effects of cocaine.