Excitatory conditioning to the interoceptive nicotine stimulus blocks subsequent conditioning to an exteroceptive light stimulus

Previous research has shown that a nicotine conditional stimulus (CS) can compete with (i.e., overshadow) a brief light CS. Another form of competition, blocking, has not yet been examined with the nicotine CS. Groups of rats were assigned to an element training condition. For the N+ group, during each daily 2 h element training session, there were ten intravenous nicotine infusions (0.03 mg/kg) followed 30 s later with 4 s access to sucrose. In the N− group, nicotine and sucrose presentations were explicitly unpaired. The chamber alone group (C alone) had no stimulus presentations. Element training was followed by compound training in all groups. A 30-s houselight was included during the time between the nicotine infusion and paired sucrose delivery. Non-reinforced element presentations assessed relative control of the goal tracking conditioned response (CR). The N+ group showed a higher proportion of CR control by the nicotine than the light. The opposite pattern was found in the N− and C alone groups indicating that nicotine CS controlled less of the CR than the light. Thus, excitatory conditioning with the nicotine CS blocked later conditioning to the light. This finding adds to literature examining the interaction between interoceptive drug CSs and other environmental stimuli.

► Sucrose first paired with interoceptive nicotine stimulus. Light presentations added creating a compound nicotine-light stimulus. ► Subsequent tests show nicotine evokes higher response than light. ► Nicotine stimulus blocks light stimulus control of appetitive conditioned response. ► Interoceptive drug stimuli can function like exteroceptive environmental stimuli.