Premium
Depression, smoking, and nicotine: Toward a bioinformational situation by trait model
Author(s) -
Gilbert David G.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
drug development research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.582
H-Index - 60
eISSN - 1098-2299
pISSN - 0272-4391
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1098-2299(199607/08)38:3/4<267::aid-ddr16>3.0.co;2-w
Subject(s) - neuroticism , psychology , nicotine , trait , antidepressant , depression (economics) , anxiolytic , affect (linguistics) , coping (psychology) , clinical psychology , developmental psychology , personality , psychiatry , anxiety , social psychology , communication , computer science , economics , macroeconomics , programming language
Associations of psychological depression and negative affect with smoking are well established but need further explanation. Evidence supports the view that neuroticism is an important psychological variable mediating the relationship of genes, depression, and smoking. Both neuroticism and depression are associated with decreased left‐frontal and/or increased right‐frontal cortical activation and information processing that predispose individuals to negative affect, negative associative processes, withdrawal, and passive coping. In such individuals, nicotine appears to normalize frontal cortical activation asymmetries, and to have antidepressant and anxiolytic effects. Mechanisms that may mediate the antidepressant effects of nicotine and the association of smoking with depression are reviewed and discussed within a bioinformational situation by trait model. Drug Dev. Res. 38:267–277 © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.