Beyond Cue Reactivity: ERPs, Sensitivity to Natural Rewards and Smoking Cessation

描述（由申请人提供）：虽然来自几项实证研究的数据支持吸烟者将吸烟相关刺激作为动机相关的想法，但很少有研究调查吸烟者是否表现出对自然奖励的敏感性降低（即，本质上令人愉快的刺激）。获得这些知识将允许实施新的干预措施，旨在提高自然奖励的显着价值，这种方法可能会增加戒烟。我们研究小组的长期目标是了解复吸的神经生理机制，并改善戒烟干预措施。本建议的目的是确定对内在奖励的敏感性的作用（即，愉快的）刺激在维持吸烟成瘾。我们的中心假设是，对内在愉悦刺激敏感性降低的吸烟者戒烟和实现长期戒烟莫尔困难。这一假设的提出要归功于我们实验室使用事件相关电位（ERP）收集的初步数据，ERP是一种直接测量神经活动的方法。这项研究的基本原理是，一旦我们能够识别出对本质上令人愉快的刺激表现出敏感性降低的吸烟者，就可以对这些人实施特定的干预措施，使大脑奖励系统的反应正常化。这种个性化的干预措施（药理学或心理学）将提高长期戒烟率，对人类健康产生显著的积极影响。我们将通过追求三个具体目标来检验这一假设：1）确定尼古丁成瘾在改变对内在愉悦刺激的敏感性中的作用; 2）确定对内在愉悦刺激的敏感性在戒烟尝试期间影响戒烟的作用; 3）建立并验证长期戒烟预测模型，以改善戒烟的个性化治疗。这种方法是创新的，因为通过使用ERPs直接测量由内在情绪刺激引起的大脑活动，我们将能够评估大脑奖励系统中的个体差异在影响戒烟能力方面的作用。这项拟议中的研究意义重大，因为它将从根本上推进我们对药物成瘾所涉及的神经生物学过程的认识。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): While data from several empirical studies support the idea that smokers process cigarette-related stimuli as motivationally relevant, very few studies have investigated if smokers exhibit reduced sensitivity to natural rewards (i.e., intrinsically pleasant stimuli). Obtaining this knowledge will allow for the implementation of new interventions aimed at enhancing the saliency value of natural rewards, an approach that might increase smoking abstinence. The long-term goal of our research group is to understand the neurophysiologic mechanisms underlying relapse and to improve smoking-cessation interventions. The objective of this proposal is to determine the role of sensitivity to intrinsicaly rewarding (i.e., pleasant) stimuli in the maintenance of smoking addiction. Our central hypothesis is that smokers with reduced sensitivity to intrinsically pleasant stimuli will have mor difficulty quitting smoking and achieving long-term abstinence. This hypothesis was developed thanks to preliminary data collected in our laboratory using event-related potentials (ERPs), a direct measure of neural activity. The rationale for the proposed research is that once we can identify smokers who exhibit reduced sensitivity to intrinsically pleasant stimuli, specific interventions to normalize the reactivity of the brain reward system can be implemented for these individuals. Such individualized interventions (either pharmacological or psychological) will increase long term smoking cessation rates with a significant positive impact on human health. We will test this hypothesis by pursuing three specific aims: 1) Determine the role of nicotine addiction in altering sensitivity to intrinsically pleasant stimuli; 2) Identify the role hat sensitivity to intrinsically pleasant stimuli has on influencing smoking abstinence during a smoking cessation attempt; 3) Build and validate a long-term smoking abstinence predictive model to improve personalized treatment for smoking cessation. This approach is innovative because, by using ERPs to directly measure brain activity evoked by intrinsically emotional stimuli, we will be able to evaluate the role that individual differences in the brain reward syste have in influencing one's ability to quit smoking. The proposed research is significant because it will fundamentally advance our knowledge of the neurobiological processes involved in drug addiction.