Optimizing treatments for nicotine dependence by increasing cognitive performance during withdrawal

Ashare, Rebecca L.; Schmidt, Heath D.

doi:10.1517/17460441.2014.908180

Cited by 38 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 140 publications

(171 reference statements)

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“…Smokers who were better able to focus during the imagery waited longer before smoking a cigarette. Greater proficiency in the mental simulation will likely require fewer cognitive resources when smoking abstinence-induced cognitive deficits are common (Ashare & Schmidt, 2014). …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Our findings showed that smoking latency was longer the better participants were able to imagine smoking a cigarette. The ability to focus on the imagery in the context of abstinence-associated cognitive deficits may be mitigated by nicotine replacement or pro-cognitive medications (Ashare & Schmidt, 2014). Finally, the exclusion of individuals with a psychiatric disorder was based on self-report and the use of psychotropic medication, not on clinical interview.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Can repetitive mental simulation of smoking engender habituation?

Audrain-McGovern¹,

Aa²,

Ep³

2016

Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology

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Smoking cue exposure sensitizes smokers to cigarettes (i.e., increases cravings). Research examining the overlap between perception and mental imagery suggests that mentally simulating smoking a cigarette in a manner analogous to actually smoking should lead to habituation or a decrease in a smoker’s motivation to smoke. We sought to determine whether repetitive mental simulation of smoking can engender habituation thereby reducing smoking cue-induced craving and shifts in mood, latency to smoke, and the hedonic response to smoking. These hypotheses were tested in non-treatment seeking smokers (n=61; 24 female/ 37male) ages 18–55 years old, who were not incentivized to quit. We used a 2 (In Vivo Cue: Smoking, Neutral) x 2 (Imagery: Repetitive, Limited) within-subjects design. Results revealed that repetitive imagery altered the effect of cue type for negative mood and subjective cigarette reward as evidenced by significant imagery x cue interactions. Repetitive imagery after a smoking cue reduced negative mood more than limited imagery (β = −1.19, p = .004). Repetitive imagery also reduced the reward derived from smoking a cigarette more than limited imagery (β = −.41, p < .0001). Only main effects of cue type on craving (β = 3.39, p = .01) and positive mood (β = −1.18, p = .03) were found. Greater imagery strength predicted a longer latency to smoke (β = .76, p = .001). Cognitive strategies that directly engage cue-induced craving through repetitive smoking imagery may reduce smoking cue-induced increases in negative mood and reward from a cigarette lapse potentially preventing smoking relapse.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can repetitive mental simulation of smoking engender habituation?

Audrain-McGovern¹,

Aa²,

Ep³

2016

Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology

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“…Given that cognitive deficits during nicotine withdrawal predict smoking relapse [115, 116], these results suggest that AChEIs may improve cognitive performance in abstinent smokers and prevent smoking relapse. Taken together, these studies suggest that AChEIs could be re-purposed as pharmacotherapies for smoking cessation [117]. …”

Section: Neurotransmitter Mechanisms Regulating Nicotine Seekingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neurobiological and Neurophysiological Mechanisms Underlying Nicotine Seeking and Smoking Relapse

2018

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Tobacco-related morbidity and mortality continue to be a significant public health concern. Unfortunately, current FDA-approved smoking cessation pharmacotherapies have limited efficacy and are associated with high rates of relapse. Therefore, a better understanding of the neurobiological and neurophysiological mechanisms that promote smoking relapse is needed to develop novel smoking cessation medications. Here, we review preclinical studies focused on identifying the neurotransmitter and neuromodulator systems that mediate nicotine relapse, often modeled in laboratory animals using the reinstatement paradigm, as well as the plasticity-dependent neurophysiological mechanisms that facilitate nicotine reinstatement. Particular emphasis is placed on how these neuroadaptations relate to smoking relapse in humans. We also highlight a number of important gaps in our understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying nicotine reinstatement and critical future directions, which may lead toward the development of novel, target pharmacotherapies for smoking cessation.

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“…These include mild-to-moderate impairment in a number of frontally mediated cognitive functions including sustained attention, working memory and response inhibition (al-Adawi & Powell, 1997; Ashare, Falcone, & Lerman, 2014; Dawkins, Powell, West, Powell, & Pickering, 2007; Powell, Dawkins, & Davis, 2002; Wesnes, Edgar, Kezic, Salih, & de Boer, 2013). The reversal of these withdrawal-associated cognitive deficits has been proposed as a potential target for medication development efforts aimed at increasing smoking cessation rates (Ashare et al, 2016; Ashare & Schmidt, 2014). …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Use of an automated mobile application to assess effects of nicotine withdrawal on verbal fluency: A pilot study.

Pakhomov¹,

Teeple²,

Mills³

et al. 2016

Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology

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Mild-to-moderate impairment in frontally mediated functions such as sustained attention, working memory and inhibition have been found to occur during tobacco withdrawal and may present a barrier to successful cessation. These findings have led to studies evaluating cessation treatments that target nicotine withdrawal related cognitive impairment. The instruments currently used to assess cognitive function provide detailed and specific information but have limitations including being time consuming, cumbersome, anxiety provoking and having poor ecological validity. We examined the feasibility of using a mobile computer application to test verbal fluency (VF) as a quick, easy-to-administer and more ecologically valid method of measuring the effects of short-term smoking abstinence on frontally mediated cognitive functions. Thirty participants completed two assessments – one during ad lib smoking and one after overnight abstinence. At each assessment, semantic and phonemic VF tests were administered using a mobile application and nicotine craving and withdrawal symptom severity was assessed. In repeated assessments, performance on both semantic and phonemic VF tests is expected to improve due to practice effects; however, significant improvements were observed only in semantic (p=0.012) but not phonemic (p=0.154) VF. Additionally, the change between assessments in phonemic (but not semantic) score was significantly associated with withdrawal (p=0.006) and craving (p=0.037) severity measured post-abstinence. This study demonstrates that nicotine withdrawal has differential effects on semantic versus phonemic VF suggesting impairments of working memory, attention, and inhibition. These effects were measured using methods easily employed in large groups of participants, potentially with remote test administration and automated scoring.

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Optimizing treatments for nicotine dependence by increasing cognitive performance during withdrawal

Cited by 38 publications

References 140 publications

Can repetitive mental simulation of smoking engender habituation?

Can repetitive mental simulation of smoking engender habituation?

Neurobiological and Neurophysiological Mechanisms Underlying Nicotine Seeking and Smoking Relapse

Use of an automated mobile application to assess effects of nicotine withdrawal on verbal fluency: A pilot study.

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