Severity of dependence modulates smokers' neuronal cue reactivity and cigarette craving elicited by tobacco advertisement

Abstract

Smoking-related cues elicit craving and mesocorticolimbic brain activation in smokers. Severity of nicotine dependence seems to moderate cue reactivity, but the direction and mechanisms of its influence remains unclear. Although tobacco control policies demand a ban on tobacco advertising, cue reactivity studies in smokers so far have not employed tobacco advertisement as experimental stimuli. We investigated whether tobacco advertisement elicits cue reactivity at a behavioral (subjective craving) and a neural level (using functional magnetic resonance imaging) in 22 smokers and 21 never-smokers. Moreover, we studied the influence of severity of dependence on cue reactivity. In smokers, tobacco advertisement elicited substantially more craving than control advertisement whereas never-smokers reported no cue induced craving. Surprisingly, neuronal cue reactivity did not differ between smokers and never-smokers. Moderately dependent smokers' craving increased over the course of the experiment, whereas highly dependent smokers' craving was unaffected. Moderately dependent smokers' brain activity elicited by tobacco advertisement was higher in the amygdala, hippocampus, putamen and thalamus compared with highly dependent smokers. Furthermore, limbic brain activation predicted picture recognition rates after the scanning session, even in never-smokers. Our findings show that tobacco advertisement elicits cigarette craving and neuronal cue reactivity primarily in moderately dependent smokers, indicating that they might be particularly responsive towards external smoking-related cues. On the other hand, neuronal cue reactivity and cigarette craving in highly dependent smokers is more likely triggered by internal cues such as withdrawal symptoms. Tobacco advertisement seems to likewise appeal to smokers and non-smokers, clarifying the potential danger especially for young non-smokers.

The motor way: Clinical implications of understanding and shaping actions with the motor system in autism and drug addiction

“…Consistent evidence has shown that salient cues are able to trigger a vast and personalized array of physiological, psychological, and behavioral responses similar to those experienced during substance use (Beaver et al, 2011;Hogarth, Dickinson, & Duka, 2010;Vollstädt-Klein et al, 2011). Drug CR is one of the major factors involved in the relapse into drug-seeking and drug-taking behavior, and therefore it is an important issue for the development of innovative clinical and rehabilitative approaches.…”

“…This view hypothesizes that the progression from use to abuse and then dependence may be characterized as the transition from voluntary to habitual and progressively compulsive drug use. From a neurobiological perspective, such a transition would reflect a dynamic shift in the neural loci of control over behavior (i.e., from the ventral to dorsal striatum, in combination with a progressive decrease in prefrontal cortical control; Everitt & Robbins, 2013;Garavan et al, 2000;Volkow et al, 2006;Vollstädt-Klein et al, 2011). Although the role of motor processes in the neurobiology of addiction has been widely underestimated or even neglected in past decades (Yalachkov, Kaiser, & Naumer, 2010), more recently it has been hypothesized that motor mechanisms play Fig.…”

Differences in “bottom-up” and “top-down” neural activity in current and former cigarette smokers: Evidence for neural substrates which may promote nicotine abstinence through increased cognitive control

“…Both nicotine and conditioned cues have been shown to maintain cigarette smoking and trigger relapse (Heishman et al, 2010;Henningfield and Goldberg, 1983;Janes et al, 2010a;Rose, 2006;Vollstadt-Klein et al, 2010). While the majority of cigarette smokers endorse the desire to quit, reported abstinence rates after 12 months are in the modest region of 5-17% (Hughes et al, 2008).…”

Withdrawal Symptoms and Nicotine Dependence Severity Predict Virtual Reality Craving in Cigarette-Deprived Smokers

“…11 Although craving may be induced by individual cues, the reality is that craving generally arises because of a complex association of emotional, environmental, autobiographical, and sensory information. To generate a more realistic craving state, recent studies have begun to use dynamic and complex virtual environments, 1,[12][13][14] which allow users to navigate through the environment and become fully immersed in it.…”