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

Abstract

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.

From appetitive to aversive: Motivational interviewing reverses the modulation of the startle reflex by tobacco cues in smokers not ready to quit

“…Our results show that, before the intervention, tobacco-related pictures inhibited the startle reflex indicating activation of the appetitive motivational system in smokers who were not seeking to quit smoking, consistent with previous studies (Bradley et al, 2001;Cui et al, 2012;Engelmann et al, 2011;Grillon & Baas, 2003;Lam et al, 2012;Lang, 2010;Muñoz et al, 2013Muñoz et al, , 2010Rehme et al, 2009;Vila et al, 2003). Conversely, after the intervention, tobacco-related pictures potentiated the startle reflex in both intervention groups suggesting that MI and PA were successful in activating the defensive motivational system when viewing tobacco cues (Bradley et al, 2001;Grillon & Baas, 2003;Vila et al, 2003).…”

Randomized Trial of Telephone-Delivered Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Versus Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Smoking Cessation: A Pilot Study

“…Specifically, people who avoid their triggers to smoke (i.e., low acceptance) will benefit most from ACT because ACT teaches skills to overcome avoidance. We also posit that this focus on acceptance may be especially helpful for heavy smokers and those with mental health symptoms because physical, emotional, and cognitive cues to smoke are stronger for these individuals (Cui et al, 2012;Kushnir et al, 2013;Loeber et al, 2011;Weinberger, McKee, & George, 2012). Overall, exploration of comparative treatment effects in these subgroups can aid in the critical effort to improve quit rates for high-risk groups and thereby reduce tobaccorelated health disparities (Baker et al, 2007;Marlatt, Curry, & Gordon, 1988;Wee, West, Bulgiba, & Shahab, 2011;Zhou et al, 2009).…”

Respuestas psicofisiológicas ante estímulos asociados al tabaco: Diferencias entre fumadores y no fumadores

“…Por ejemplo, Cinciripini et al (2006) y Dempsey, Cohen, Hobson y Randall (2007) encontraron que los fumadores inhiben el reflejo de sobresalto ante imágenes asociadas al tabaco; esto sugiere la activación del sistema motivacional apetitivo, lo que a su vez se relaciona con conductas de aproximación, sin embargo, también se han encontrado resultados contradictorios utilizando esta misma metodología y población (Muñoz et al, 2010). Otros estudios han mostrado diferencias en el reflejo de sobresalto según el grado de dependencia a la nicotina y el nivel de consumo de tabaco (Cui et al, 2012;Rehme et al, 2009), pero entre estos estudios también hay contradicciones.…”