EEG, physiology, and task-related mood fail to resolve across 31 days of smoking abstinence: Relations to depressive traits, nicotine exposure, and dependence.

Abstract

Changes in task-related mood and physiology associated with 31 days of smoking abstinence were assessed in smokers, 34 of whom were randomly assigned to a quit group and 22 to a continuing-to-smoke control group. A large financial incentive for smoking abstinence resulted in very low participant attrition. Individuals were tested during prequit baselines and at 3, 10, 17, and 31 days of abstinence. Abstinence was associated with decreases in heart rate and serum cortisol, a slowing of electroencephalogram (EEG) activity, and task-dependent and trait-depression-dependent hemispheric EEG asymmetries. Differences between the quit group and the smoking group showed no tendency to resolve across the 31 days of abstinence. Trait depression and neuroticism correlated with increases in left-relative-to-right frontal EEG slow-wave (low alpha) activity at both 3 and 31 days of abstinence. In contrast, prequit nicotine intake and Fagerström Tolerance scores correlated with alpha asymmetry and with greater EEG slowing only at Day 3. Thus, the effects of smoking abstinence appear to last for at least several months.

Time-Varying Smoking Abstinence Predicts Lower Depressive Symptoms Following Smoking Cessation Treatment

“…A significant confound in studies addressing this question is that those smokers who experience the least affective disturbance upon quitting are those most likely to remain abstinent. Experimental studies that provide large incentives for abstinence can overcome this limitation by achieving very high abstinence rates (e.g., Gilbert et al, 1999). However, these studies may not parallel the real-world situation in which smokers quit for intrinsic reasons and may experience increased self-esteem and personal efficacy as a result (Cohen & Lichtenstein, 1990).…”

Changes in the Electroencephalographic Spectrum in Response to Smoking Cues in Smokers and Ex-Smokers

“…Increases in theta power are correlated with drowsiness [13,14] and the transition from wakefulness to sleep [15] . These changes in EEG spectrum in response to smoking abstinence persist until at least 1 month after quitting [16] . As far as we know, there are no studies investigating EEG activity in prolonged ( 1 1 month) smoking abstinence, and therefore it is unknown how EEG power and frequency will develop after a 1-year period of abstinence.…”

Alpha Oscillations in Response to Affective and Cigarette-Related Stimuli in Smokers

“…Although several studies have used EEG frequency analysis to characterize spontaneous brain oscillations following nicotine satiation or withdrawal (Domino et al, 2009;Gilbert et al, 1999;Gilbert, Meliska, Welser, & Estes, 1994;Hasenfratz & Bättig, 1993;Knott, 1988;Pickworth, Herning, & Henningfield, 1989), event-related changes in alpha oscillations induced by the presentation of cigarette-related cues have rarely been examined (Littel, Franken, & Van Strien, 2009). Therefore, the effect of cigarette-related cues on alpha ERD is unclear.…”