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

描述（由申请人提供）：尼古丁戒断与注意力认知加工减少有关，尼古丁给药与注意力认知加工增加有关。鉴于正常的衰老过程与注意力控制能力的下降有关，我们提出，老年人吸烟产生的尼古丁可显著改善与衰老相关的注意力控制能力下降。因此，由于认知注意力的原因，老年人可能会发现吸烟更能强化认知。尼古丁诱导的认知-注意力增强作为年龄的功能的作用尚未被系统地研究过。这项研究的主要目的是研究尼古丁满足和戒断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个功能。年轻吸烟者（21岁至40岁）和年长吸烟者（51岁至70岁）将在两个实验阶段进行执行注意力工作记忆任务（N-back）的比较，这些吸烟者要么是即兴吸烟，要么是夜间尼古丁剥夺。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，在尼古丁戒断期间，注意力控制会减弱，这种影响在老年吸烟者中会更大，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：这项研究将提高我们对注意力认知过程在整个生命周期中吸烟行为中的作用的理解。这项研究的发现可能会导致针对老年吸烟者的针对性行为和药物治疗的发展。

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.