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Stevens EM, Frank D, Codispoti M, Kypriotakis G, Cinciripini PM, Claiborne K, Deweese MM, Engelmann JM, Green CE, Karam-Hage M, Minnix JA, Ng J, Robinson JD, Tyndale RF, Vidrine DJ, Versace F. The Late Positive Potentials Evoked by Cigarette-Related and Emotional Images Show no Gender Differences in Smokers. Sci Rep 2019; 9:3240. [PMID: 30824792 PMCID: PMC6397300 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-39954-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2018] [Accepted: 02/05/2019] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
When trying to quit, women are less likely than men to achieve long-term smoking abstinence. Identifying the neuropsychological mechanisms underlying women's higher relapse vulnerability will help clinicians to develop effective tailored smoking cessation interventions. Here we used event-related potentials (ERPs), a direct measure of brain activity, to evaluate the extent to which neurophysiological responses to cigarette-related and other emotional stimuli differ between female and male smokers. Both women and men showed similar patterns of brain reactivity across all picture categories; pleasant and unpleasant images prompted larger Late Positive Potentials (LPPs, a robust measure of motivational relevance) than neutral images in both groups, and cigarette-related images prompted lower LPPs than high arousing emotional images in both groups. Unlike previous studies, there were no differences between male and female smokers with regard to LPP responses to cigarette-related images. This suggests that the LPP may not be ideally suited to discriminate neurophysiological gender differences or that there are simply no gender differences in the neurophysiological responses to cigarette-related stimuli. We collected ERPs from 222 non-nicotine-deprived smokers (101 women) while they watched a slideshow that included high and low emotionally arousing pleasant and unpleasant pictures, cigarette-related, and neutral pictures. We used the mean amplitude of the LPP to assess the affective significance that participants attributed to these pictures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elise M Stevens
- Stephenson Cancer Center, Oklahoma Tobacco Research Center, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA
| | - David Frank
- MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas, Houston, TX, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Menton M Deweese
- Vanderbilt University, Department of Teaching and Learning, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | | | - Charles E Green
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Maher Karam-Hage
- MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas, Houston, TX, USA
| | | | - Jennifer Ng
- MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Jason D Robinson
- MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Rachel F Tyndale
- Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Damon J Vidrine
- Stephenson Cancer Center, Oklahoma Tobacco Research Center, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA
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Versace F, Stevens EM, Robinson JD, Cui Y, Deweese MM, Engelmann JM, Green CE, Karam-Hage M, Lam CY, Minnix JA, Wetter DW, Cinciripini PM. Brain Responses to Cigarette-Related and Emotional Images in Smokers During Smoking Cessation: No Effect of Varenicline or Bupropion on the Late Positive Potential. Nicotine Tob Res 2019; 21:234-240. [PMID: 29220524 PMCID: PMC6329398 DOI: 10.1093/ntr/ntx264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2017] [Accepted: 11/29/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Introduction Varenicline and bupropion are two effective smoking cessation pharmacotherapies. Researchers have hypothesized that they might be effective, in part, because they reduce cue reactivity and cue-induced cravings. Here, we used event-related potentials (ERPs) to directly measure brain responses to cigarette-related and other motivationally relevant images during a pharmacologically aided quit attempt. Methods Smokers involved in a 12-week placebo-controlled double-blind clinical trial of smoking cessation medications (varenicline, bupropion, placebo) took part in the study. We assessed participants at two time points: 24 h (n = 140) and 4 weeks (n = 176) after the quit date. At both sessions, we measured the amplitude of the late positive potential (LPP), an ERP component reliably associated with motivational relevance, and self-reported tonic craving using the brief version of the Questionnaire of Smoking Urges (QSU-Brief). Results At both sessions, emotional and cigarette-related images evoked significantly larger LPPs than neutral images. Neither drug type nor smoking abstinence altered this effect at either session. At both sessions, varenicline and bupropion significantly reduced self-reported tonic craving relative to the placebo condition. Conclusions While both varenicline and bupropion reduced self-reported tonic craving, neither medication altered the amplitude of the LPP to cigarette-related or emotional pictures in smokers attempting to quit. These medications may influence abstinence by means other than by reducing neuroaffective responses to cigarette-related cues. Smokers should be prepared for the likelihood that even after several weeks of successful abstinence, once treatment ends, cigarette-related cues may remain motivationally relevant and trigger cravings that might lead to relapse. Implications Bupropion and varenicline do not alter electrophysiological responses, as measured by the LPP, to cigarette-related and emotional images. These findings help explain why cigarette-related cues can trigger relapse when smoking cessation medication treatments end.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Versace
- Department of Behavioral Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Elise M Stevens
- Oklahoma Tobacco Research Center, Stephenson Cancer Center, The University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK
| | - Jason D Robinson
- Department of Behavioral Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Yong Cui
- Department of Behavioral Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Menton M Deweese
- Department of Behavioral Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Jeffrey M Engelmann
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI
| | - Charles E Green
- Department of Pediatrics, The University of Texas-Houston Medical School, Houston, TX
| | - Maher Karam-Hage
- Department of Behavioral Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Cho Y Lam
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
| | - Jennifer A Minnix
- Department of Behavioral Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - David W Wetter
- Department of Population Health Sciences, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT
| | - Paul M Cinciripini
- Department of Behavioral Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
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Fox AT, Catley D, Richter KP, Ellerbeck EF, Brucks MG, Papa VB, Martin LE. Functional brain activation changes associated with practice in delaying smoking among moderate to heavy smokers: study protocol and rationale of a randomized trial (COPE). Trials 2018; 19:623. [PMID: 30419931 PMCID: PMC6233265 DOI: 10.1186/s13063-018-2984-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2018] [Accepted: 10/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Most smokers struggle to overcome tobacco addiction. Neuroscientific models of addiction emphasize the importance of brain regions associated with cognitive control and reward to understand the cycle of addiction and relapse. During an attempt at abstinence, the cognitive control system appears to be underpowered to override the heightened reward system of the addicted brain. Thus, one neural target for treatment is to strengthen the cognitive control system. It may be possible to improve the functioning of the cognitive control system via deliberate practice. METHODS/DESIGN This study will determine the effects of practicing delaying smoking on brain and behavioral measures of cognitive control. Smoking patterns will be monitored for 1 week and then smokers (N = 80) will be randomized to either practice cognitive control by delaying their first cigarette of the day for 2 weeks (practice group) or they will continue monitoring only (no practice group). Functional magnetic resonance imaging will be performed while smokers regulate their responses to smoking images (i) at baseline and (ii) after 2 weeks of practice (or no practice). DISCUSSION The primary aim of this study will be to identify the impact of practicing cognitive control on functional brain activation changes in response to smoking cues. If successful, this project will establish a neurobiological biomarker for increasing cognitive control and demonstrate the feasibility of neuroimaging methods to predict the efficacy of an intervention without a large clinical trial. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03080844 . Registered March 15, 2017.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew T. Fox
- Hoglund Brain Imaging Center, University of Kansas Medical Center, Mail Stop 1052, 3901 Rainbow Blvd, Kansas City, KS 66160 USA
| | - Delwyn Catley
- Center for Children’s Healthy Lifestyles and Nutrition, Children’s Mercy Kansas City, 2401 Gillham Rd, Kansas City, MO 64108 USA
| | - Kimber P. Richter
- Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Kansas Medical Center, 3901 Rainbow Blvd, Kansas City, KS 66160 USA
| | - Edward F. Ellerbeck
- Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Kansas Medical Center, 3901 Rainbow Blvd, Kansas City, KS 66160 USA
| | - Morgan G. Brucks
- Hoglund Brain Imaging Center, University of Kansas Medical Center, Mail Stop 1052, 3901 Rainbow Blvd, Kansas City, KS 66160 USA
| | - Vlad B. Papa
- Hoglund Brain Imaging Center, University of Kansas Medical Center, Mail Stop 1052, 3901 Rainbow Blvd, Kansas City, KS 66160 USA
| | - Laura E. Martin
- Hoglund Brain Imaging Center, University of Kansas Medical Center, Mail Stop 1052, 3901 Rainbow Blvd, Kansas City, KS 66160 USA
- Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Kansas Medical Center, 3901 Rainbow Blvd, Kansas City, KS 66160 USA
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Guillot CR, Halliday TM, Kirkpatrick MG, Pang RD, Leventhal AM. Anhedonia and Abstinence as Predictors of the Subjective Pleasantness of Positive, Negative, and Smoking-Related Pictures. Nicotine Tob Res 2017; 19:743-749. [PMID: 28186553 DOI: 10.1093/ntr/ntx036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2016] [Accepted: 01/30/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Introduction Anhedonia-diminished interest or pleasure in response to rewards-is a dimension implicated in several psychiatric disorders linked to smoking. This laboratory study sought to identify motivational mechanisms linking anhedonia and tobacco addiction by testing the hypothesis that anhedonia, abstinence, and their interaction would predict excesses and deficits in the perceived pleasantness of smoking-related and positive pictures, respectively. We assessed the pleasantness of negative pictures as a secondary outcome. Methods After a baseline session involving self-report measures of anhedonia and other factors, 125 regular smokers attended two counterbalanced experimental sessions (overnight abstinent and non-abstinent) at which they rated the pleasantness of positive, smoking-related, negative, and neutral (control) pictures presented via computer. The difference in pleasantness ratings of positive, smoking-related, and negative pictures relative to neutral pictures served as the index of participants' appraisal of the motivational salience of nondrug reward, drug reward, and aversive signals, respectively. Results With and without adjusting for sex and depressive symptoms, greater anhedonia significantly or marginally predicted greater pleasantness of smoking (vs. neutral), lower pleasantness of positive (vs. neutral), less unpleasantness of negative (vs. neutral) pictures (|βs| = 0.18 to 0.35, ps = .007 to .07). Anhedonia by abstinence interaction effects on pleasantness ratings of each stimulus category (vs. neutral) were not significant (|βs| ≤ 0.02, ps ≥ .36). Conclusions Anhedonia and abstinence additively increase the salience of smoking-related cues in anhedonic smokers. Smoking cessation efforts that attenuate sensitization to smoking stimuli may benefit anhedonic smokers early in quit attempts. Implications Taken together, these findings provide tentative evidence that anhedonia is associated with a relative imbalance in the motivational salience of drug relative to nondrug rewards and may be associated with a generalized hypo-reactivity to both positive and negative stimuli. Though some prior smoking research has evidenced this relative imbalance in anhedonia with self-report or a smoking-choice task, we additionally show that this pattern may extend to hyper-affective reactivity to smoking-related stimuli being coincident with hypo-affective reactivity to nondrug-related positive stimuli (ie, may extend to greater pleasantness ratings of smoking pictures being accompanied by lower pleasantness ratings of positive pictures).
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Affiliation(s)
- Casey R Guillot
- Department of Psychology, University of North Texas, Denton, TX
| | | | - Matthew G Kirkpatrick
- Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Raina D Pang
- Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
| | - Adam M Leventhal
- Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA.,Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
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Robinson JD, Versace F, Engelmann JM, Cui Y, Gilbert DG, Waters AJ, Gritz ER, Cinciripini PM. Attentional bias to smoking and other motivationally relevant cues is affected by nicotine exposure and dose expectancy. J Psychopharmacol 2016; 30:627-40. [PMID: 27097731 PMCID: PMC5858186 DOI: 10.1177/0269881116642879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
We investigated the effects of acute nicotine dose and expected dose on attentional bias (AB) to smoking and affective cues in overnight nicotine-deprived smokers (n=51; 24 women) using a balanced placebo design, which counterbalanced given nicotine dose (Given-NIC vs. Given-DENIC) with instructed nicotine dose expectancy (Told-NIC vs. Told-DENIC). Before and after smoking a study cigarette, smokers completed a vigilance task where they pressed buttons to every third consecutive even or odd digit, while ignoring intermittent smoking, pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral picture distracters. We examined the early posterior negativity (EPN) and late positive potential (LPP) components of the event-related potentials (ERPs) to the distracters, reaction time (RT) to the target digits, and ratings of the study cigarettes. The EPN was sensitive to both given and instructed nicotine dose, while the instructed dose moderated the impact of given dose for the LPP. The RT metrics were sensitive to given but not to instructed dose. The effects of given dose on ratings following cigarette smoking (e.g. enjoyment) were moderated by the instructed dose. The ERP findings suggest that the anticipated effects of nicotine improve attention much like receiving actual nicotine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason D Robinson
- Department of Behavioral Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Francesco Versace
- Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and Oklahoma Tobacco Research Center, Stephenson Cancer Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA
| | - Jeffery M Engelmann
- Department of Behavioral Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Yong Cui
- Department of Behavioral Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - David G Gilbert
- Department of Psychology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL, USA
| | - Andrew J Waters
- Department of Medical & Clinical Psychology, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Ellen R Gritz
- Department of Behavioral Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Paul M Cinciripini
- Department of Behavioral Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA
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Minnix JA, Versace F, Robinson JD, Lam CY, Engelmann JM, Cui Y, Brown VL, Cinciripini PM. The late positive potential (LPP) in response to varying types of emotional and cigarette stimuli in smokers: a content comparison. Int J Psychophysiol 2013; 89:18-25. [PMID: 23643564 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2013.04.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2012] [Revised: 03/28/2013] [Accepted: 04/23/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Identifying neural mechanisms associated with addiction has substantially improved the overall understanding of addictive processes. Indeed, research suggests that drug-associated cues may take advantage of neural mechanisms originally intended for emotional processing of stimuli relevant to survival. In this study, we investigated cortical responses to several categories of emotional cues (erotic, romance, pleasant objects, mutilation, sadness, and unpleasant objects) as well as two types of smoking-related cues (people smoking and cigarette-related objects). We recorded ERPs from 180 smokers prior to their participation in a smoking cessation clinical trial and assessed emotional salience by measuring the amplitude of the late positive potential (LPP; 400 to 600 ms after picture onset). As expected, emotional and cigarette-related pictures prompted a significantly larger LPP than neutral pictures. The amplitude of the LPP increased as a function of picture arousal level, with high-arousing erotic and mutilation pictures showing the largest response in contrast to low-arousing pleasant and unpleasant objects, which showed the smallest response (other than neutral). Compared to females, male participants showed larger LPPs for high-arousing erotic and mutilation pictures. However, unlike emotional pictures, no difference was noted for the LPP between cigarette stimuli containing people versus those containing only objects, suggesting that in contrast to emotional objects, cigarette-related objects are highly relevant for smokers. We also compared the smokers to a small (N=40), convenience sample of never-smokers. We found that never-smokers had significantly smaller LPPs in response to erotic and cigarette stimuli containing only objects compared to smokers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer A Minnix
- Department of Behavioral Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77230-1439, USA.
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Hammersley JJ, Rzetelny A, Gilbert DG, Rabinovich NE, Small SL, Huggenvik JI. Effects of nicotine on emotional distraction of attentional orienting: evidence of possible moderation by dopamine type 2 receptor genotype. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2013; 105:199-204. [PMID: 23474369 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2013.02.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2012] [Revised: 02/20/2013] [Accepted: 02/23/2013] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Growing evidence suggests that attentional bias to, and distraction by, emotional stimuli may moderate affective states and motivation for nicotine and other drug use. METHODS The present study assessed the effects of nicotine and dopamine receptor genotype on distraction by emotional pictures, during a modified spatial attention task, in 46 overnight-deprived smokers. RESULTS Relative to placebo, 14mg nicotine patch produced shorter overall reaction times (RTs) and individuals with two dopamine type 2 receptor (DRD2) A2 alleles exhibited the greatest RT benefit from nicotine following emotionally negative pictures after the longest cue-target delay (800ms), but benefitted least from nicotine following positive pictures after the shortest delay (400ms). In contrast, at the shortest delay, A1 carriers did not benefit from nicotine following emotionally negative pictures but did following positive ones. CONCLUSIONS These genetic differences in the effects of nicotine on attention immediately following emotionally positive versus negative stimuli may reflect differential excitatory and inhibitory transmitter processes related to approach (reward) and avoidance (punishment) sensitivities of dopamine-related neural networks that support positive and negative affect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan J Hammersley
- Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Department of Psychology, Carbondale, IL, 62901-6502, USA.
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Versace F, Lam CY, Engelmann JM, Robinson JD, Minnix JA, Brown VL, Cinciripini PM. Beyond cue reactivity: blunted brain responses to pleasant stimuli predict long-term smoking abstinence. Addict Biol 2012; 17:991-1000. [PMID: 21967530 DOI: 10.1111/j.1369-1600.2011.00372.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 69] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Identifying addicts with higher risk of relapse would provide the opportunity to implement individualized interventions and increase cessation success rates. Unfortunately, the ability to predict the long-term success of drug cessation treatments continues to elude researchers. We tested whether brain responses to emotional and cigarette-related pictures were predictive of the ability to abstain from smoking. Smokers interested in quitting (n=180) participated in a smoking cessation clinical trial. Before the initiation of any treatment, we recorded event-related potentials (ERPs) evoked by emotional (both pleasant and unpleasant), neutral, and cigarette-related images. Cluster analysis was used to assign smokers to two groups based on the amplitude of the late positive potential (LPP) to the experimental stimuli. While both groups showed enhanced responses to cigarette-related cues, one group (n=81) also showed blunted brain responses to intrinsically pleasant stimuli. Smokers in the latter group were significantly less likely to be abstinent at 10, 12 and 24 weeks after their quit date. In conclusion, using ERPs, a direct measure of brain activity, we found that smokers with blunted brain responses to intrinsically pleasant stimuli had lower rates of long-term smoking abstinence. This response offers a new biomarker for identifying smokers at higher risk of relapse and for testing the efficacy of new interventions aimed at normalizing brain reward systems' responses to intrinsically pleasant stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Versace
- Department of Behavioral Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
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Froeliger B, Modlin LA, Kozink RV, Wang L, McClernon FJ. Smoking abstinence and depressive symptoms modulate the executive control system during emotional information processing. Addict Biol 2012; 17:668-79. [PMID: 22081878 DOI: 10.1111/j.1369-1600.2011.00410.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Smoking abstinence disrupts affective and cognitive processes. In this study, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to investigate the effects of smoking abstinence on emotional information processing. Smokers (n = 17) and non-smokers (n = 18) underwent fMRI while performing an emotional distractor oddball task in which rare targets were presented following negative and neutral task-irrelevant distractors. Smokers completed two sessions: once following 24-hour abstinence and once while satiated. The abstinent versus satiated states were compared by evaluating responses to distractor images and to targets following each distractor valence within frontal executive and limbic brain regions. Regression analyses were done to investigate whether self-reported negative affect influences brain response to images and targets. Exploratory regression analyses examined relations between baseline depressive symptoms and smoking state on brain function. Smoking state affected response to target detection in the right inferior frontal gyrus (IFG). During satiety, activation was greater in response to targets following negative versus neutral distractors; following abstinence, the reverse was observed. Withdrawal-related negative affect was associated with right insula activation to negative images. Finally, depression symptoms were associated with abstinence-induced hypoactive response to negative emotional distractors and task-relevant targets following negative distractors in frontal brain regions. Neural processes related to novelty detection/attention in the right IFG may be disrupted by smoking abstinence and negative stimuli. Reactivity to emotional stimuli and the interfering effects on cognition are moderated by the magnitude of smoking state-dependent negative affect and baseline depressive symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brett Froeliger
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27705, USA.
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Nicotine withdrawal modulates frontal brain function during an affective Stroop task. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2012; 220:707-18. [PMID: 21989805 PMCID: PMC3619410 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-011-2522-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2011] [Accepted: 09/21/2011] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Among nicotine-dependent smokers, smoking abstinence disrupts multiple cognitive and affective processes including conflict resolution and emotional information processing (EIP). However, the neurobiological basis of abstinence effects on resolving emotional interference on cognition remains largely uncharacterized. In this study, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to investigate smoking abstinence effects on emotion-cognition interactions. METHODS Smokers (n = 17) underwent fMRI while performing an affective Stroop task (aST) over two sessions: once following 24-h abstinence and once following smoking as usual. The aST includes trials that serially present incongruent or congruent numerical grids bracketed by neutral or negative emotional distractors and view-only emotional image trials. Statistical analyses were conducted using a statistical threshold of p < 0.05 cluster corrected. RESULTS Smoking abstinence increased Stroop blood-oxygenation-level-dependent response in the right middle frontal and rostral anterior cingulate gyri. Moreover, withdrawal-induced negative affect was associated with less activation in frontoparietal regions during negative emotional information processing; whereas, during Stroop trials, negative affect predicted greater activation in frontal regions during negative, but not neutral emotional distractor trials. CONCLUSION Hyperactivation in the frontal executive control network during smoking abstinence may represent a need to recruit additional executive resources to meet task demands. Moreover, abstinence-induced negative affect may disrupt cognitive control neural circuitry during EIP and place additional demands on frontal executive neural resources during cognitive demands when presented with emotionally distracting stimuli.
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Kobiella A, Ulshöfer DE, Vollmert C, Vollstädt-Klein S, Bühler M, Esslinger C, Smolka MN. Nicotine increases neural response to unpleasant stimuli and anxiety in non-smokers. Addict Biol 2011; 16:285-95. [PMID: 20731637 DOI: 10.1111/j.1369-1600.2010.00237.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Studies in smokers suggest that nicotine might exert anxiolytic, stress-dampening and mood-enhancing effects and beneficially influences neural processing of affective information. Regarding non-smokers, results are inconsistent, and no data exist on the effect of nicotine on neural emotion processing. We applied functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to assess the influence of nicotine on brain activation during processing of emotional stimuli in 31 non-smokers with a maximum lifetime cigarette consumption of 20 cigarettes. Participants were subjected to two fMRI scans with event-related presentations of images taken from the International Affective Picture System, receiving nicotine (2 mg) and placebo gums in a double-blinded, randomized cross-over design. Furthermore, subjective affect was assessed. Nicotine increased brain activity in response to unpleasant stimuli in the amygdala, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and basal ganglia, whereas processing of pleasant stimuli was not altered. Psychophysiological interaction (PPI) analyses revealed that nicotine increased connectivity between the amygdala and the perigenual ACC (pACC) during processing of unpleasant stimuli and decreased connectivity between those structures during processing of pleasant stimuli. Participants reported higher state anxiety under nicotine than placebo. A single dose of nicotine acted as a stressor in non-smokers, leading to increased anxiety and neural activation elicited by unpleasant stimuli as well as altered connectivity within the amygdala-pACC circuit. Besides the possibility that reactions to nicotine may differ between non-smokers and smokers due to tolerance and neuroadaptive processes that occur during prolonged nicotine use, a priori differences in smokers and non-smokers might potentially explain diverse effects of nicotine on affect and emotional reactivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Kobiella
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
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Kobiella A, Vollstädt-Klein S, Bühler M, Graf C, Buchholz HG, Bernow N, Yakushev IY, Landvogt C, Schreckenberger M, Gründer G, Bartenstein P, Fehr C, Smolka MN. Human dopamine receptor D2/D3 availability predicts amygdala reactivity to unpleasant stimuli. Hum Brain Mapp 2010; 31:716-26. [PMID: 19904802 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.20900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Dopamine (DA) modulates the response of the amygdala. However, the relation between dopaminergic neurotransmission in striatal and extrastriatal brain regions and amygdala reactivity to affective stimuli has not yet been established. To address this issue, we measured DA D2/D3 receptor (DRD2/3) availability in twenty-eight healthy men (nicotine-dependent smokers and never-smokers) using positron emission tomography with [18F]fallypride. In the same group of participants, amygdala response to unpleasant visual stimuli was determined using blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging. The effects of DRD2/3 availability in emotion-related brain regions and nicotine dependence on amygdala response to unpleasant stimuli were examined by multiple regression analysis. We observed enhanced prefrontal DRD2/3 availability in those individuals with higher amygdala response to unpleasant stimuli. As compared to never-smokers, smokers showed an attenuated amygdala BOLD response to unpleasant stimuli. Thus, individuals with high prefrontal DRD2/3 availability may be more responsive toward aversive and stressful information. Through this mechanism, dopaminergic neurotransmission might influence vulnerability for affective and anxiety disorders. Neuronal reactivity to unpleasant stimuli seems to be reduced by smoking. This observation could explain increased smoking rates in individuals with mental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Kobiella
- Department of Addictive Behavior and Addiction Medicine, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany
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Gilbert DG, Carlson JM, Riise H, Rabinovich NE, Sugai C, Froeliger B. Effects of nicotine and depressive traits on affective priming of lateralized emotional word identification. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol 2008; 16:293-300. [PMID: 18729683 PMCID: PMC3461268 DOI: 10.1037/a0012871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Based on evidence suggesting that depressive traits, emotional information processing, and the effects of nicotine may be mediated by lateralized brain mechanisms, analyses assessed the influence of depressive traits and nicotine patch on emotional priming of lateralized emotional word identification in 61 habitual smokers. Consistent with hypotheses, nicotine as compared to placebo patch enhanced right visual field (RVF) emotional word identification while decreasing performance of emotional word identification in the left visual field (LVF). Nicotine also enhanced positive affect and decreased negative affect. Consistent with the Heller model of depression, scoring high in depressive traits was associated with a general decrease in LVF emotional word identification. Additionally, this general LVF deficit was especially pronounced for positive word identification in individuals scoring high in trait depression. Positive primes facilitated positive target identification in the RVF and negative primes facilitated negative target identification in the LVF. Thus, nicotine promoted a LVF word-identification deficit similar to that observed in those with depressive traits. However, nicotine also enhanced RVF processing and reduced negative affect, whereas it enhanced positive affect.
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Affiliation(s)
- David G Gilbert
- Department of Psychology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. IL 62901, USA.
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