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The effects of nicotine and non‐nicotine smoking factors on working memory and associated brain function
Author(s) -
McCler Francis Joseph,
Froeliger Brett,
Rose Jed E.,
Kozink Rachel V.,
Addicott Merideth A.,
Sweitzer Maggie M.,
Westman Eric C.,
Van Wert Dana M.
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
addiction biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.445
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1369-1600
pISSN - 1355-6215
DOI - 10.1111/adb.12253
Subject(s) - nicotine , abstinence , placebo , nicotine patch , smoking cessation , psychology , nicotine withdrawal , medicine , audiology , cognition , working memory , anesthesia , neuroscience , psychiatry , pathology , alternative medicine
Smoking abstinence impairs executive function, which may promote continued smoking behavior and relapse. The differential influence of nicotine and non‐nicotine (i.e. sensory, motor) smoking factors and related neural substrates is not known. In a fully factorial, within‐subjects design, 33 smokers underwent fMRI scanning following 24 hours of wearing a nicotine or placebo patch while smoking very low nicotine content cigarettes or remaining abstinent from smoking. During scanning, blood oxygenation level‐dependent ( BOLD ) signal was acquired while participants performed a verbal N ‐back task. Following 24‐hour placebo (versus nicotine) administration, accuracy on the N ‐back task was significantly worse and task‐related BOLD signal lower in dorsomedial frontal cortex. These effects were observed irrespective of smoking. Our data provide novel evidence that abstinence‐induced deficits in working memory and changes in underlying brain function are due in large part to abstinence from nicotine compared with non‐nicotine factors. This work has implications both for designing interventions that target abstinence‐induced cognitive deficits and for nicotine‐reduction policy.