Smoking withdrawal is associated with increases in brain activation during decision making and reward anticipation: a preliminary study.

ABSTRACT:

Rationale

Acute nicotine abstinence is associated with disruption of executive function and reward processes; however, the neurobiological basis of these effects has not been fully elucidated.

Methods

The effects of nicotine abstinence on brain function during reward-based probabilistic decision making were preliminarily investigated by scanning adult smokers (n = 13) following 24 h of smoking abstinence and in a smoking-satiated condition. During fMRI scanning, participants completed the wheel of fortune task (Ernst et al. in Neuropsychologia 42:1585-1597, 2004), a decision-making task with probabilistic monetary outcomes. Brain activation was modeled during selection of options, anticipation of outcomes, and outcome feedback.

Results

During choice selection, reactio

SUBMITTER: Addicott MA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4140396 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature