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The effects of prolonged abstinence on the processing of smoking cues: an ERP study among smokers, ex-smokers and never-smokers

Institute of Psychology, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Ingmar H. A. Franken

Institute of Psychology, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, franken{at}fsw.eur.nl

Processing bias is an important feature of substance abuse. The issue whether processing bias is a more or less permanent feature of nicotine addiction remains to be resolved. The present study addresses the role of smoking status on smoking-related processing bias. We employed Event-Related Brain Potentials (ERPs) as measure of processing bias to investigate this issue. Further, self-report measures of nicotine craving and pleasantness ratings of smoking stimuli were obtained. Three groups, smokers, ex-smokers and never-smokers, were compared on their electrophysiological brain response to smoking-related and neutral pictures. The present study shows that both the P300 and SPW amplitudes in response to smoking-related pictures are significantly more enhanced for smokers than for ex-smokers and never-smokers at frontal and central sites, whereas the magnitude of the P300 and SPW amplitudes in response to neutral pictures does not differ between the three groups. Accordingly, it can be concluded that smokers show more bias for smoking-related pictures than ex-smokers and smokers. Because there is no significant difference between the P300 and SPW amplitudes of ex-smokers and never-smokers, it can also be concluded that ex-smokers display the same (low) level of processing bias as never-smokers. In addition, nicotine-craving ratings and pleasantness ratings of smoking stimuli were higher in smokers compared to ex-smokers. It can be concluded that the smoking-related craving, pleasantness rating, and processing bias decreases after a period of prolonged abstinence.

Key Words: smoking • nicotine • processing bias • event-related potentials

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Journal of Psychopharmacology, Vol. 21, No. 8, 873-882 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0269881107078494


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This Article Abstract Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Littel, M. Articles by Franken, I. H. A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Littel, M. Articles by Franken, I. H. A. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?