The Role of Context Preference and Age on Single Trial Nicotine Conditioned Place Preference, and the Role of Dosing Context on MAPK Activation in the Ventral Striatum

Abstract

Adolescents are prone to risk taking behaviors that often lead to experimentation with drugs, such as nicotine. This behavioral profile coincides with a sensitization of the mesocorticolimbic dopamine pathway that receives input from the developing prefrontal cortex. Drug-seeking behaviors are also maintained through reinforced drug- cue