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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2017 Nov 1.
Published in final edited form as: Eur J Neurosci. 2016 Oct 19;44(10):2818–2828. doi: 10.1111/ejn.13398

Figure 2. Depression-like behaviors measured by the forced swim test following adolescent or adult nicotine exposure.

Figure 2

Mice were administered nicotine or saline for 12 days and were tested in the forced swim test 24 hours or 30 days later. A & B) 24-hr abstinence: Adolescent nicotine but not adult nicotine exposure resulted in higher time immobile in the forced swim test than age-matched saline controls (*p<0.05). Nicotine administration significantly shortened the latency to become immobile in both age groups when tested after 24 hours of withdrawal (b* = p<0.01). Adolescent mice had longer latency times to immobility than adult mice regardless of treatment (a*, p < 0.05). C & D) 30-day abstinence. Mice exposed to nicotine during adolescence spent more time immobile in the forced swim test (***p<0.0001) and had shorter latencies to immobility (**p<0.01) when tested after 30 days of withdrawal than saline controls indicating heightened depression-like behaviors after long-term withdrawal from chronic nicotine exposure. Exposure to nicotine during adulthood had no effect on immobility when tested 30 days later. n=8-16/experimental group.