Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, United States.
Physiol Behav. 2012 Oct 10;107(3):364-7. doi: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2012.08.005. Epub 2012 Aug 23.
Visual stimuli may play an important role in the development and maintenance of addiction in humans. Research with a visually-oriented animal model such as Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) may provide insight into how visual cues contribute to the addiction process. The aim of the current study was to investigate the rewarding properties of nicotine in male Japanese quail using a biased conditioned place preference (CPP) procedure. Adult male quail (N=30) were allowed to freely explore the entire CPP apparatus during a place preference pre-test and time spent in each chamber was measured. During nicotine conditioning sessions, quail were administered nicotine (0.5, 1.0, or 2.0mg/kg) or saline and were then confined to their initially least preferred chamber. On alternating days, all quail received saline and were confined to their initially preferred chamber. Locomotor activity was assessed in both chambers. The conditioning chambers had yellow or green walls to enhance the visual salience of each context. Following 8 conditioning sessions (4 nicotine; 4 saline), quail were allowed to explore the entire apparatus during a CPP post-test and time spent in each chamber was measured. The results indicated that quail treated with 0.5 and 1.0mg/kg nicotine significantly increased the amount of time they spent in the nicotine-paired chamber compared to saline controls, suggesting that nicotine produced a CPP. Furthermore, quail treated with 0.5mg/kg nicotine showed a significant increase in locomotor activity with repeated treatments. The current findings suggest that nicotine may have a rewarding effect in quail and may tentatively suggest that the neuropharmacological mechanisms that mediate CPP for nicotine are conserved in birds.
视觉刺激在人类成瘾的发展和维持中可能起着重要作用。使用以视觉为导向的动物模型（如日本鹌鹑（Coturnix japonica））进行研究，可能有助于深入了解视觉线索如何促进成瘾过程。本研究的目的是使用偏向的条件位置偏好（CPP）程序研究尼古丁对雄性日本鹌鹑的奖赏特性。在 CPP 预测试期间，允许成年雄性鹌鹑（N=30）自由探索整个 CPP 设备，并测量其在每个腔室中花费的时间。在尼古丁条件作用过程中，给鹌鹑注射尼古丁（0.5、1.0 或 2.0mg/kg）或生理盐水，然后将其限制在最初最不喜欢的腔室中。在交替的日子里，所有鹌鹑都接受生理盐水并被限制在最初喜欢的腔室中。在两个腔室中评估运动活动。调节室的墙壁为黄色或绿色，以增强每个环境的视觉显著性。在 8 次条件作用后（4 次尼古丁；4 次生理盐水），允许鹌鹑在 CPP 后测试期间探索整个设备，并测量其在每个腔室中花费的时间。结果表明，与生理盐水对照相比，用 0.5 和 1.0mg/kg 尼古丁处理的鹌鹑明显增加了它们在尼古丁配对腔室中花费的时间，表明尼古丁产生了 CPP。此外，用 0.5mg/kg 尼古丁处理的鹌鹑在重复治疗后显示出运动活动的显著增加。目前的研究结果表明，尼古丁在鹌鹑中可能具有奖赏作用，并且可能暂时表明介导尼古丁 CPP 的神经药理学机制在鸟类中是保守的。
