Author(s)

Valentina Bashkatova^*, Sergey Sudakov, Galina Nazarova, Elena Alexeeva

P.K. Anokhin Research Institute of Normal Physiology, Moscow, Russia.

The objective of these experiments was to study the effects of ethanol on the anxiety level, activity, metabolic rate, and feeding and drinking behaviors of rats that were chronically treated with nicotine. The chronic intake of nicotine changed the effects of the acute administration of ethanol. Thus, the nicotine-dependent rats demonstrated a significantly decreased anxiolytic-like effect in response to ethanol than did the control rats. This decrease may lead to a decrease in the sensitivity of animals to the positive reinforcing effects of ethanol and an increase in their consumption to achieve the desired effect. The negative action of ethanol on the metabolism, motor activity and drinking behavior of rats that chronically consumed nicotine was increased. Chronic nicotine intake can be assumed to lead to cross-tolerance of the effects of ethanol. On the contrary, the sensitivity to the action of ethanol increased.

Nicotine, Ethanol, Metabolism, Drinking Behavior, Locomotion

Bashkatova, V. , Sudakov, S. , Nazarova, G. and Alexeeva, E. (2014) The Action of Chronic Nicotine on the Effects of Ethanol on Anxiety, Locomotion and Metabolism and the Feeding and Drinking Behaviors of Rats. Pharmacology & Pharmacy, 5, 1077-1084. doi: 10.4236/pp.2014.511117.