Biological and Behavioral Mechanisms of Smoking in Schizophrenia

描述(由申请人提供)： 尽管普通人群的吸烟率在下降，但精神分裂症患者的吸烟率仍然很高。这些吸烟者的戒烟率几乎为零。很少有研究系统地研究影响这一人群吸烟的生物和行为因素。这项研究计划的长期目标是了解生物和行为变量如何导致这些患者的吸烟成瘾，并利用这些信息制定减少精神分裂症患者吸烟的策略。这项研究将在实验室条件下调查尼古丁替代(42毫克与安慰剂)和感觉运动替代(获得去尼古丁香烟与不获得)对患有精神分裂症的吸烟者吸烟行为的单独和联合影响。我们还将调查在年龄、性别分布、每日吸烟率和尼古丁依赖方面匹配但目前没有精神疾病的吸烟者的影响。我们还将调查这些干预措施对吸烟冲动、尼古丁戒断症状、精神症状和认知任务表现的影响，并检查这些变量的影响是否中介了吸烟的影响。相关性：我们预计这个项目将扩大现有的关于影响精神分裂症患者和无精神疾病的重度吸烟者吸烟因素的知识。反过来，这些信息可以用来为这些吸烟者开发新的治疗策略。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Although rates of cigarette smoking are declining in the general population, rates of smoking among people with schizophrenia remain markedly high. Quit rates in these smokers are virtually zero. Few studies have systematically examined biological and behavioral factors that affect smoking in this population. The long-term objectives of this research program are to learn how biological and behavioral variables contribute to smoking addiction in these patients, and to use this information to develop strategies of reducing smoking in people with schizophrenia. This study will investigate, under laboratory conditions, the separate and combined effects of nicotine replacement (42 mg versus placebo) and sensorimotor replacement (access to denicotinized cigarettes versus no access) on smoking behavior in smokers with schizophrenia. We will also investigate effects in smokers who are matched on age, gender distribution, daily smoking rate and nicotine dependence, but do not have current psychiatric illness. We will also investigate effects of these interventions on urges to smoke, nicotine withdrawal symptoms, psychiatric symptoms, and cognitive task performance, and examine whether effects on these variables mediate effects on smoking. Relevance: We anticipate that this project will expand existing knowledge concerning factors that affect smoking in people with schizophrenia and heavy smokers without current mental illness. In turn, this information could be used to develop novel treatment strategies for these smokers.