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Nicotine modulation of information processing is not limited to input (attention) but extends to output (intention)

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Abstract

Rationale

Nicotine influences many cognitive processes, especially those requiring high attentional loads, yet the impact of nicotine on all aspects of information processing has not been well delineated.

Objective

The aim of the study was to determine the relative behavioral and functional effects of nicotine on dissociable aspects of information processing (i.e., selective attention and motor intention).

Methods

Adult smokers (N = 25) and healthy controls (N = 23) performed the intention/attention task (IAT) twice, during functional magnetic resonance imaging. The IAT assesses the relative differences in performance evoked by prime stimuli that provide information regarding either the correct hand with which to respond (i.e., intentional primes) or the likely location of a target stimulus (i.e., attentional primes). Smokers were scanned 2 h after nicotine (21 mg) or placebo patch placement. The order of nicotine and placebo sessions was randomized and counter-balanced. Controls were also scanned twice, with no patch placement in either session.

Results

While drug condition had no significant effect on reaction time, smokers were overall more accurate than controls. Moreover, nicotine significantly increased the response to intentional primes in brain regions known to mediate response readiness, e.g., inferior parietal lobe, supramarginal gyrus, and striatum.

Conclusions

While limited to participant accuracy, these data suggest that the behavioral effects of nicotine in smokers are not only limited to information processing input (i.e., selective attention) but are also generalizable to output functions (i.e., motor intention). Moreover, nicotine’s effects on intention appear to be mediated by a facilitation of function in brain regions associated with information processing output.

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Notes

  1. In interpreting these observations, it is important to note that the effects of acute nicotine and nicotine withdrawal upon measures of cognition are not necessarily of equal magnitude, and the impact of acute nicotine in smokers may differ considerably from the effects seen in nonsmoking controls.

  2. Given the ratio of congruent to incongruent trials and the number of other task manipulations, there were insufficient incongruent trials to allow for this level to be accurately modeled in the imaging analysis.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Loretta Spurgeon, Kimberley Modo, NIDA nursing staff, and Dr. Betty Jo Salmeron for their contributions in running this study and Dr. Frank Wolkenberg for experiment design assistance. This study was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse—Intramural Research Program.

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  1. Neuroimaging Research Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse—Intramural Research Program, 251 Bayview Blvd. Suite 200 (NIDA), Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA

    Emma J. Rose, Thomas J. Ross, Pradeep K. Kurup & Elliot A. Stein

  2. Neuropsychiatric Genetics Group, Department of Psychiatry, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland

    Emma J. Rose

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Correspondence to Elliot A. Stein.

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Rose, E.J., Ross, T.J., Kurup, P.K. et al. Nicotine modulation of information processing is not limited to input (attention) but extends to output (intention). Psychopharmacology 209, 291–302 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00213-010-1788-9

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