SY33-1CIGARETTES AND ALCOHOL: HOW NICOTINE PROMOTES DRINKING VIA STRESS HORMONES

Although tobacco smoking is a well-known risk factor for alcohol abuse, the neural events contributing to this risk remain largely unknown. Nicotine and alcohol share many common cellular and molecular targets that converge upon the mesolimbic dopamine system. Our studies demonstrate that pre-exposure to nicotine increases alcohol self-administration and decreases alcohol-induced dopamine responses. The decreased dopamine response arises from increased inhibitory synaptic transmission onto midbrain dopamine neurons. Blocking stress hormone receptors prior to nicotine exposure prevents all interactions with alcohol that we measured, including the increased inhibition onto dopamine neurons, the decreased dopamine responses, and the increased alcohol self-administration. These results indicate that nicotine recruits neuroendocrine systems to influence reward-related responses to alcohol.