# Striatal mechanisms for e-cigarette reinforcement by flavorants

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · 2021 · $581,336

## Abstract

E-cigarettes are increasingly used by teenagers, who are particularly vulnerable to the addictive
properties of nicotine. With the exclusion of menthol, the use of flavor additives has been banned from
traditional cigarettes, while e-cigarettes (e-cigs) are marketed in over 7,000 different flavors. We
hypothesize that flavorants enhance nicotine reward through sensory and/or natural reward
mechanisms. As a consequence, flavored e-cigs may promote nicotine experimentation, dependence,
and eventually, the use of regular cigarettes. Despite the fact that the FDA has recently regulated the
sales of flavored e-cigs to minors, no flavor ban has been implemented, and adolescents could still
obtain flavored e-cig products through friends or unscrupulous sellers. Furthermore, understanding how
flavors influence e-cig use is important for the implementation of regulatory rules that can reduce
potential disease and death deriving from the consumption of this increasingly popular tobacco product.
 The overall goal of this application is to compare the rewarding and reinforcing properties of
flavored vs. non-flavored e-cigs in adolescent and adult mice, and identify the neural substrates
responsible for the enhancing effects of flavorants. Our hypothesis is that flavored e-cigs are more
rewarding than non-flavored e-cigs and that flavor additives promote and sustain nicotine seeking in
adolescents due to the combined influence of flavorants and nicotine on the ventral striatum. The first
goal is to determine whether flavorants enhance adolescent nicotine reward and promote nicotine self-
administration, and compare their effects in adult mice. The second goal is to understand how e-cig
flavorants are encoded in the ventral striatum during acquisition of e-cigarette vapor preference and
self-administration. The third goal is to determine whether exposure to e-cig flavorants alters synaptic
plasticity in the ventral striatum and whether it modifies cellular responses to nicotine. Our experiments
will combine behavioral approaches with tetrode recordings during behavior and brain slice
electrophysiology to determine how e-cigarette nicotine vapor affects reward-associated brain areas,
and whether flavorants (e.g. fruit or mint) have additive or synergistic effects.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10197866
- **Project number:** 5R01DA049545-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Mariella De Biasi
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $581,336
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-09-30 → 2024-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10197866

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10197866, Striatal mechanisms for e-cigarette reinforcement by flavorants (5R01DA049545-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10197866. Licensed CC0.

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