Nicotine Produces a High-Approach, Low-Avoidance Phenotype in Response to Alcohol-Associated Cues in Male Rats.

We conclude that nicotine increases the approach and diminishes the avoidance elicited by Pavlovian cues paired, respectively, with the reinforcing and aversive properties of EtOH consumption in male rats. As such, nicotine may enhance alcoholism liability by engendering an attentional bias toward cues that predict the reinforcing outcomes of drinking.