Earlier studies reported exacerbated locomotor response to stress and tranylcypromine in β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) knockout (KO) mice. This study aimed to further assess the role of β2 and coexpressed nAChR subunits in the brain (α4, α6 and α7) to control monoamine-mediated locomotor response, that is, response to novelty, saline, nicotine with tranylcypromine pretreatment, cocaine, d-amphetamine and morphine treatments. Results show that β2 KO mice were hyperreactive to novelty, cocaine and morphine. In contrast, α7 KO mice were hyporeactive to tranylcypromine and cocaine. These results suggest that endogenous nAChR stimulation may exert a tonic control on monoamine-mediated locomotor responses. β2 and α7-containing nAChR may contribute, respectively, to the inhibitory and permissive pathways of this tonic control.