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Nicotine withdrawal and stress‐induced changes in pain sensitivity: A cross‐sectional investigation between abstinent smokers and nonsmokers
Author(s) -
Nakajima Motohiro,
Al'Absi Mustafa
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
psychophysiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.661
H-Index - 156
eISSN - 1469-8986
pISSN - 0048-5772
DOI - 10.1111/psyp.12241
Subject(s) - cold pressor test , nicotine , abstinence , psychology , nicotine withdrawal , blood pressure , pain tolerance , smoking cessation , heart rate , anesthesia , medicine , threshold of pain , psychiatry , pathology
Chronic smoking has been linked with alterations in endogenous pain regulation. These alterations may be pronounced when individuals quit smoking because nicotine withdrawal produces a variety of psychological and physiological symptoms. Smokers interested in quitting ( n = 98) and nonsmokers ( n = 37) completed a laboratory session including cold pressor test ( CPT ) and heat thermal pain. Smokers set a quit date and completed the session after 48 h of abstinence. Participants completed the pain assessments once after rest and once after stress. Cardiovascular and nicotine withdrawal measures were collected. Smokers showed blunted cardiovascular responses to stress relative to nonsmokers. Only nonsmokers had greater pain tolerance to CPT after stress than after rest. Lower systolic blood pressure was related to lower pain tolerance. These findings suggest that smoking withdrawal is associated with blunted stress response and increased pain sensitivity.