Nicotinic receptors have long been known to play a significant role in cognition and disruption of normal nAChR function has been demonstrated in diseases such as Alzheimer's and schizophrenia (Paterson and Nordberg, 2000). nAChR agonists, including nicotine, enhance cognition, memory and promote learning by actions in a number of different brain circuits; however, the underlying mechanisms are still not completely understood (Levin et al., 1994; Socci et al., 1995; Levin and Simon, 1998). An important aspect of addiction is the development of context-drug associations and the formation of memories that link drug-predictive cues to the reinforcing properties of the substance. Studies in both animals and humans have highlighted the importance of associated learning of drug intake with both environmental and internal cues in mediating future drug-seeking and relapse (Fuchs et al., 2008).
