The effects of smoking deprivation and nicotine administration on emotional reactivity

Abstract

Although converging lines of evidence suggest that nicotine and mood are related at a fundamental biological level, this link has not been reliably demonstrated in laboratory studies. In this study, startle probe methodology was used to examine the effects of nicotine administration and deprivation on emotional processes associated with motivation. Smokers (N = 115) completed four laboratory sessions crossing deprivation (12-hr deprived vs. nondeprived) with nicotine spray (active vs. placebo). Participants viewed affective pictures (positive, negative, neutral) and pictures involving cigarette cues, while startle probes were administered. Deprivation decreased startle responding to cigarette cues, suggesting an activation of appetitive processes. Nicotine administration suppressed overall startle responding during deprivation. In addition, during deprivation, random exposure to negative stimuli over two blocks of trials resulted in decreased adaptation of the startle response, suggesting that some sensitization to negative emotional cues may take place during nicotine withdrawal. These effects are consistent with formulations of addiction, stressing that withdrawal may both increase the reinforcement salience of smoking stimuli and decrease habituation to negative emotional stimuli.

Sustained incentive value of heroin-related cues in short- and long-term abstinent heroin users

“…The affectmodulated startle methodology has been repeatedly used in drug research by including photographs of drug paraphernalia or drug intake rituals and measuring the suppression of the startle response by drug-related scenes relative to neutral scenes (referred to as cue-related startle suppression, CSS). In general, these studies confirmed incentive theories because they consistently reported CSS in addicted users of alcohol or nicotine while viewing drug-related cues (Cinciripini et al, 2006;Dempsey et al, 2007;Geier et al, 2000;Mucha et al, 2000).…”

Implicit attitudes to smoking are associated with craving and dependence

“…The positive, neutral, and negative pictures were selected from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS; Lang et al, 2005). The cigarette pictures, consisting of smoking cues such as images of burning cigarettes, have been used in previous studies (e.g., Cinciripini et al, 2006), and a validation check has been published . A PC using Psychology Software Tools' E-prime software (Pittsburgh, PA) digitally projected a 91.5 cm × 122 cm image of the pictures, on a screen approximately 1.5 m from the participant.…”

“…Two separate blocks of trials (habituation and test), each consisting of 24 pictures, were presented using established procedures (e.g., Cinciripini et al 2006, Cuthbert et al, 1996Smith et al, 2005). Each block of 24 pictures included 6 pictures of each valence.…”

“…For example, blinks are larger when subjects view unpleasant (vs. neutral) pictures (e.g., Cook et al, 1992;Vrana et al, 1988) and are smaller when participants view positive (vs. neutral) pictures (Cuthbert et al 1996). The acoustic startle response has been also used to study the affective properties of smoking cues (e.g., Cinciripini et al, 2006;Elash et al, 1995;Geier et al, 2000;Orain-Pelissolo et al, 2004).…”

Fear-Potentiated Startle to Threat, and Prepulse Inhibition Among Young Adult Nonsmokers, Abstinent Smokers, and Nonabstinent Smokers

“…This effect may either be attributable to cigarette withdrawal symptoms (Hughes et al 1994;Parrott and Garnham 1998), which increase sensitivity to stimuli with negative valence (Cinciripini et al 2006). Alternatively, if nicotine is used as an anxiolytic agent (Shiffman 1982), abstinence may uncover underlying anxiety in smokers during acute withdrawal.…”