Differential cigarette-related startle cue reactivity among light, moderate, and heavy smokers

作者：Cui Yong; Robinson Jason D; Versace Francesco; Lam Cho Y; Minnix Jennifer A; Karam Hage Maher; Dani John A; Kosten Thomas R; Wetter David W; Brown Victoria L; Cinciripini Paul M^*

来源：Addictive Behaviors, 2012, 37(8): 885-889.

DOI：10.1016/j.addbeh.2012.02.003

• Cue reactivity
• Affect
• Nicotine addiction
• Startle response

In this study, we examined the relationship between the level of daily cigarette consumption and the startle response to affective and cigarette-related cues among treatment-seeking smokers. Before receiving any behavioral or pharmacological treatment, 136 smokers attended a baseline laboratory session, during which we recorded their reflexive eyeblink responses to acoustic startle probes while they were viewing pleasant, unpleasant, neutral, and cigarette-related pictures. We found that 1) cigarette-related and pleasant pictures similarly reduced the startle magnitude compared to neutral pictures; 2) the magnitude of startle modulation rendered by pleasant or unpleasant pictures did not differ among light, moderate, and heavy smokers; and 3) startle attenuation by cigarette-related pictures was greater in heavy smokers than in light smokers. These results suggest that similar to pleasant stimuli, cigarette-related cues are motivationally salient for smokers, and that this salience increases with nicotine dependence.

• 出版日期2012-8