Attention Shift towards Smoking Cues Relates to Severity of Dependence, Smoking Behavior and Breath Carbon Monoxide

作者：Vollstaedt Klein Sabine; Loeber Sabine; Winter Sebastian; Lemenager Tagrid; von der Goltz Christoph; Dinter Christina; Koopmann Anne; Wied Carsten; Winterer Georg; Kiefer Falk^*

来源：European Addiction Research, 2011, 17(4): 217-224.

DOI：10.1159/000327775

• Attentional bias
• Addiction
• Tobacco
• Smokers
• Visual dot probe task
• Cue reactivity

The aim of this study was to assess the severity of dependence as a factor affecting the attentional bias of smokers towards smoking-related stimuli and to clarify contradictory results of previous studies. A visual dot probe task was administered to 51 smokers and 41 nonsmokers to assess the attentional bias. Smokers were classified into a group of less severely dependent and a group of more severely dependent smokers according to the Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence, the number of cigarettes smoked per day or the CO concentration in the expired air. Nicotine craving was assessed as well. The more severely dependent smokers displayed an attentional bias towards smoking-related stimuli, while smokers with less severe nicotine dependence showed a negative attentional bias which was also observed in nonsmokers. A multiple linear regression indicated that CO concentration was the only significant predictor of attentional bias. In the total group of smokers we found a positive association between attentional bias and craving for the rewarding effects of nicotine. Future studies are warranted to further enhance our understanding of factors that affect attentional bias as appetitive responses towards smoking- related stimuli might be an important target for therapeutic interventions.

• 出版日期2011
• 单位上海市精神卫生中心