Studies in animals have shown that nicotine facilitates task acquisition and memory consolidation. The purpose of this pilot study is to assess dose, side effects, tolerance and nicotine disposition in normal healthy males and females following I.V. administration of 0.7 to 2.0 mcg/Kg/minute nicotine base. Our laboratory has developed a quick procedure for the quantitation of nicotine from plasma using high peformance liquid chromatography (sensitivity - 1 ng/ml) with UV detection. We have performed analysis on the first 9 controls to obtain initial estimates on the toxicity of the drug. Correlation analysis with neuroendocrine and cognitive effects will be undertaken in the near future.
