Association of retrospective early smoking experiences with prospective sensitivity to nicotine via nasal spray in nonsmokers

Abstract

Greater sensitivity to early exposure to tobacco smoking may predict higher risk of becoming nicotine dependent. The most common measure of this sensitivity is the retrospective self-report Early Smoking Experiences (ESE) questionnaire. We examined the relationship between responses to the retrospective ESE and prospectively assessed sensitivity to nicotine via nasal spray in young adult nonsmokers (N = 58) with modest lifetime smoking experience (>0 but < or =10 lifetime uses). Nicotine spray (0 vs 10 microg/kg) was used due to ethical and practical concerns with administering tobacco smoke to nonsmokers. Responses to cigarette smoking on the retrospective ESE items of pleasant, unpleasant, nausea, relaxed, dizzy, and buzzed were compared with prospectively assessed nicotine spray effects (NSE) on the same responses. ESE responses were also compared with subjective spray ratings of nicotine reward (e.g., "liking") and perception (e.g., "feel the effects"), cardiovascular activity, and nicotine reinforcement via a nicotine spray choice procedure. Results showed that the retrospective ESE items of dizzy and buzzed were each associated with greater prospective NSE dizzy and buzzed responses to nasal spray nicotine. However, the other four ESE items were unrelated to the corresponding NSE items. Responses to some ESE items were also related to prospective nicotine spray reward and perception, but no ESE item was related to the cardiovascular or reinforcing effects of nicotine spray. These findings show that two of six retrospective ESE items, dizzy and buzzed, predicted the same prospectively assessed responses to acute nicotine via spray in young adult nonsmokers and may reflect a stable and reliable response to nicotine intake.

Initial Reactions to Tobacco Use and Risk of Future Regular Use

“…One might expect differential recall bias, with regular users recalling more pleasant initial reactions and non-users recalling more unpleasant initial reactions, which would result in exaggerated effect sizes. Positive associations between retrospective and prospective reports of initial reactions to cigarettes suggest that recall bias may be minimal in studies of small sample sizes (Perkins et al, 2008;Pomerleau et al, 2005). Because ability to detect subtle differences improves as sample size increases, and our study was substantially larger than prior reports, we acknowledge our results may be more sensitive to recall bias.…”

“…In a study comparing retrospective responses to the ESE with prospective responses to a Nicotine Spray Effects questionnaire among 58 young adult non-smokers with modest lifetime exposure to cigarettes, Perkins, Lerman, Coddington, and Karelitz (2008) found that reporting dizziness on the ESE was associated with greater prospective ratings of "feel the effects" and "want more" when comparing nicotine spray to placebo. This may indicate that the ESE item of dizziness predicts greater sensitivity to the reinforcing effects of nicotine (Perkins et al, 2008). Furthermore, the results of a factor analysis of reactions to initial cigarette use identified a "pleasant" dimension, an "unpleasant" dimension, and a "buzz" dimension that consisted of dizziness and pleasurable buzz.…”

“…The authors suggest that dizziness may represent the most genetically informative subjective experience and therefore could be used clinically to identify individuals at risk of regular use (Haberstick et al, 2011). In a study comparing retrospective responses to the ESE with prospective responses to a Nicotine Spray Effects questionnaire among 58 young adult non-smokers with modest lifetime exposure to cigarettes, Perkins, Lerman, Coddington, and Karelitz (2008) found that reporting dizziness on the ESE was associated with greater prospective ratings of "feel the effects" and "want more" when comparing nicotine spray to placebo. This may indicate that the ESE item of dizziness predicts greater sensitivity to the reinforcing effects of nicotine (Perkins et al, 2008).…”

“…Two additional physiologic reactions, coughing and difficulty inhaling, were collected only for smokers as these symptoms are irrelevant for snus users. The ESE scale has been validated in different subgroups of individuals for the reactions buzz and dizziness (Perkins, Lerman, Coddington, & Karelitz, 2008;Pomerleau, Pomerleau, Mehringer, Snedecor, & Cameron, 2005), but to our knowledge, not for snus users. Responses on the ESE were rated on a four-point Likert scale of none, slight, moderate, and intense, and collapsed into the binary response of none versus any for all analyses, consistent with prior reports (DiFranza et al, 2004;Haberstick et al, 2011;Post, Gilljam, Rosendahl, Bremberg, & Galanti, 2010;Richardson, Okoli, Ratner, & Johnson, 2010).…”

Dopaminergic Signaling Mediates the Motivational Response Underlying the Opponent Process to Chronic but Not Acute Nicotine

“…Indeed, conditioned place aversions to acute nicotine could be due to peripheral effects because nicotine is known to induce nausea (Perkins et al, 2008). However, conditioned place aversions to acute nicotine have been shown after intra-cerebral administration (Laviolette and van der Kooy, 2003).…”