Influence of Smoking Abstinence and Age on ERP Indices of Attentional Control

描述(由申请者提供)：尼古丁戒断与注意力认知加工减弱有关，尼古丁服用与注意力认知加工增加有关。考虑到正常的衰老过程与注意力控制的下降有关，我们认为，在老年人中吸烟所产生的尼古丁可以显著改善与衰老相关的注意力控制的下降。因此，年龄较大的人可能会发现，出于认知注意力的原因，吸烟更有说服力。尼古丁诱导的认知注意力增强作为年龄的函数的作用尚未被系统地研究。这项拟议的研究的主要目的是检查尼古丁饱足和戒烟对重度吸烟者认知注意力表现的影响，作为正常衰老过程的一种功能。在随机吸烟或彻夜不吸尼古丁后，研究人员将在两个实验室阶段对年轻吸烟者(21岁至40岁)和年长吸烟者(51岁至70岁)的执行注意力工作记忆任务(N-back)进行比较。数据分析将集中在工作记忆任务期间的事件相关脑电位(ERP)活动，以及行为反应。我们假设，在尼古丁戒断过程中，注意力控制会减弱，这种影响在年长的吸烟者中会更大，而且随着任务难度的增加，这种影响会更大。公共卫生相关性：这项拟议的研究将提高我们对注意认知处理在一生中吸烟行为中的作用的理解。这项研究的发现可能会导致为老年吸烟者开发有针对性的行为和药物治疗。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Nicotine withdrawal is associated with diminished attentional cognitive processing, and nicotine administration is associated with increased attentional cognitive processing. Given that the normal aging process is associated with declines in attentional control, we propose that nicotine derived from smoking among older populations acutely ameliorates the decline in attentional control associated with aging. Thus, older individuals might find smoking more reinforcing for cognitive-attentional reasons. The role of nicotine-induced cognitive-attentional enhancement as a function of age has not yet been systematically investigated. The primary aim of the proposed research is to examine effects of nicotine satiation versus withdrawal on cognitive-attentional performance among heavy smokers as a function of the normal aging process. Younger (21 to 40 years old) and older (51 to 70 years old) smokers will be compared on an executive attention working memory task (N-back) during two laboratory sessions, following either ad lib smoking or overnight nicotine deprivation. Data analyses will focus on event- related brain potential (ERP) activity during the working memory task, as well as behavioral responses. We hypothesize that attentional control will be diminished during nicotine withdrawal, this effect will be greater among older smokers, and that this effect will be greater with increasing task difficulty. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The proposed study will improve our understanding of the role of attentional cognitive processing in smoking behavior across the lifespan. Findings from this research may lead to the development of targeted behavioral and pharmacological treatments for older smokers.