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. 2010 Apr;35(5):1209-25.
doi: 10.1038/npp.2009.227. Epub 2010 Jan 20.

Neural responses to BEGIN- and END-stimuli of the smoking ritual in nonsmokers, nondeprived smokers, and deprived smokers

Bastian Stippekohl  1 , Markus Winkler, Ronald F Mucha, Paul Pauli, Bertram Walter, Dieter Vaitl, Rudolf Stark
Affiliations

Neural responses to BEGIN- and END-stimuli of the smoking ritual in nonsmokers, nondeprived smokers, and deprived smokers

Bastian Stippekohl et al. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2010 Apr.

Abstract

Drug-associated stimuli (cues) have a prominent role in addiction research because they are able to provoke craving and relapses. Generally, drug cues are seen as conditioned excitatory stimuli, which elicit drug seeking and usage. However, newer data suggest differential effects for smoking stimuli depending on their stage in the smoking ritual. Specifically, stimuli associated with the terminal stage of smoke consumption (END-stimuli) may evoke reactivity opposite to the reactivity evoked by stimuli associated with the beginning of smoke consumption (BEGIN-stimuli). This fMRI study compared 20 nondeprived smokers with 20 nonsmokers to unravel the influence of smoking-related pictures displaying the beginning (BEGIN-stimuli) and termination (END-stimuli) of the smoking ritual on neural activity in the addiction network. In addition, 20 deprived smokers (12 h deprivation) were investigated to explore the effects of deprivation on the processing of these stimuli. In nondeprived smokers, BEGIN-stimuli reliably activated the addiction network (for example, the ventral striatum, orbitofrontal cortex, and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC)). In contrast, END-stimuli triggered a differential pattern of activations as well as deactivations; deactivations were found in the ventral striatum and the ACC. Deprivation had no clear effect on the responses triggered by BEGIN-stimuli, but affected the reactivity to END-stimuli. Our data clearly suggest that stimuli associated with different stages of the smoking ritual trigger differential neuronal responses. While BEGIN-stimuli generally seem to activate the addiction network, END-stimuli presumably have some inhibitory properties. This new finding might add to a more differentiated understanding of cue reactivity and addiction.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Craving ratings (scale range: 1–9) for BEGIN- and END-stimuli.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Neural activation and deactivation patterns for BEGIN and END in nondeprived smokers.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Main effect of stage in the ACC for nondeprived smokers and deprived smokers combined.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Group × stage interaction in the DLPFC for deprived smokers and nondeprived smokers.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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