Euphoriant effects of nicotine in smokers (original) (raw)
Abstract
Two studies were conducted to replicate and extend previous demonstrations of smoking-induced, dose-related reports of euphoria, and to confirm this relationship using measures of plasma nicotine. In experiment 1, overnight-deprived subjects, in three different sessions, smoked ultralow-, high-nicotine, and usualbrand cigarettes. In experiment 2, ultralow-, medium-, and high-nicotine cigarettes were used, and plasma nicotine was measured. In both studies, subjects were asked to depress a button during euphoric sensations. Number of sensations for the ultralow-nicotine cigarette was significantly lower than for the high-nicotine cigarette in the first study, and than for both the medium- and high-nicotine conditions in the second; a significant linear trend was observed for number of sensations as a function of plasma nicotine level in the second study. For the high-nicotine cigarette, 19 of 22 subjects experienced at least one sensation (mean around three), starting around 2.5 min after lighting up. Together, these studies support the existence of a dose-response relationship for nicotine-induced euphoric sensations; suggest that they are more pronounced following overnight abstinence than following minimal deprivation, and in more dependent smokers; and characterize in detail the temporal features of these sensations.
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Authors and Affiliations
- Behavioral Medicine Research Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan, Riverview Medical Building, 900 Wall Street, 48105, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Cynthia S. Pomerleau & Ovide F. Pomerleau
Authors
- Cynthia S. Pomerleau
- Ovide F. Pomerleau
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Pomerleau, C.S., Pomerleau, O.F. Euphoriant effects of nicotine in smokers.Psychopharmacology 108, 460–465 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02247422
- Received: 18 July 1991
- Revised: 30 April 1992
- Issue date: September 1992
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02247422