Nicotine behavioral sensitization in Lewis and Fischer male rats.

Individuals with greater nicotine-reactivity may be more likely to initiate and maintain cigarette-smoking behavior than individuals with less nicotine-reactivity. In rats, behavioral sensitization reflects a progressive increase in the psychomotor response to drugs of abuse thought to result from neuroplasticity in brain regions that mediate their motivational effects. Studying nicotine behavioral sensitization in rats with differential nicotine preference and intake, such as Lewis and Fischer rats, may provide clues about the role of nicotine-reactivity in tobacco use.