Date of Award

2024-11-01

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Psychology

Advisor(s)

Laura E. O'Dell

Abstract

Tobacco use and diabetes are major public health concerns. Prior work has suggested that persons with diabetes may exhibit greater susceptibility to nicotine dependence, and treatments for nicotine cessation are less effective. From existing literature, it is also unclear if neuropathic pain contributes to nicotine use in persons with diabetes. To address these issues, this Masterâ??s thesis first assessed the efficacy of diabetes pharmacotherapies on nicotine intake, food consumption, and water intake in rodent models of insulin resistance (Aim 1). Subsequent studies assessed the impact of analgesic medications on nicotine intake and neuropathic pain in rodent models that produce neuropathic pain (Aim 2). For Aim 1, male and female rats were given a regular diet (RD) or a high-fat diet (HFD) for 4 weeks. Then, the rats then received an injection of a low dose of streptozotocin (STZ; 25 mg/kg) to induce insulin resistance in the HFD-fed group. For Aim 2, we included a group of hypoinsulinemic rats that received a high dose of STZ (45 mg/kg) that has been shown to induce neuropathic pain. Rats were trained to self-administer nicotine intravenously in operant chambers with access to food and water. Aim 1 tested the effects of 3 diabetes medications (dapagliflozin, insulin, and bromocriptine) on our behavioral measures. Aim 2 tested the effects of 2 analgesics (flunixin and gabapentin) on the same behavioral measures. After the final test session, we assessed neuropathic pain using the von Frey test. Results of Aim 1 revealed that insulin administration normalized nicotine intake in insulin-resistant rats, whereas and bromocriptine had no effects. Results from Aim 2 revealed that our analgesic treatments did not significantly alter nicotine intake in rats that displayed a disruption in insulin signaling. Also, only the high dose STZ rats displayed neuropathic pain, but these animals displayed less nicotine intake. Our results suggest that insulin normalizes excessive nicotine intake in diabetic rats and pain is not likely a major factor that drives nicotine intake in our rodent models of diabetes.

Language

en

Provenance

Recieved from ProQuest

File Size

52 p.

File Format

application/pdf

Rights Holder

Sebastian Ortegon

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