Determinants of nicotine self-administration

Experiments utilizing the self-administration procedure have yielded varied rates of responding when using nicotine as the reinforcer. A number of factors are reviewed that appear to determine behavioral performance in self-administration procedures. Species differences ranging from rats to human, genotypic differences, schedules of reinforcement, food deprivation, routes of administration, rates of nicotine infusion, and previous drug history are all critical determinants of nicotine self-administration. Further characterization of these factors will be necessary in order to establish a ''threshold dose'' of nicotine as a means of regulating nicotine addiction. (C) 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.