Department of Health Outcomes and Behavior, Moffitt Cancer Center, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA.
Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2013 Sep;229(2):285-94. doi: 10.1007/s00213-013-3107-8. Epub 2013 Apr 28.
The reinforcing properties of nicotine may be, in part, derived from its ability to enhance certain forms of cognitive processing. Several animal and human studies have shown that nicotine increases prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the startle reflex. However, it remains unclear whether these effects are related to smoking susceptibility.
The current study examined the effects of intravenously delivered nicotine on PPI in smokers and non-smokers, as well as its association with a quantitative index of familial smoking.
The sample consisted of 30 non-smokers and 16 smokers, who completed an initial assessment, followed on a separate day by a laboratory assessment of PPI prior to and following each of two intravenous nicotine infusions. Separate doses were used in smoker and non-smoker samples.
Analyses indicated that both nicotine infusions acutely enhanced PPI among non-smokers, and this enhancement was positively related to the degree of smoking among first and second-degree relatives. Smokers also displayed PPI enhancement after receiving the first infusion, but this effect was unrelated to familial smoking.
These data suggest that the PPI paradigm may have utility as an endophenotype for cognitive processes which contribute to smoking risk.
尼古丁的强化特性可能部分源于其增强某些形式的认知加工的能力。几项动物和人类研究表明，尼古丁可增加惊吓反射的前脉冲抑制（PPI）。然而，目前尚不清楚这些影响是否与吸烟易感性有关。
本研究考察了静脉内给予尼古丁对吸烟者和非吸烟者 PPI 的影响，以及其与家族吸烟的定量指标的关系。
该样本包括 30 名不吸烟者和 16 名吸烟者，他们完成了初步评估，然后在单独的一天，在接受两次静脉内尼古丁输注之前和之后，对 PPI 进行实验室评估。在吸烟者和非吸烟者样本中使用了单独的剂量。
分析表明，两种尼古丁输注都可急性增强非吸烟者的 PPI，这种增强与一级和二级亲属的吸烟程度呈正相关。吸烟者在接受第一次输注后也显示出 PPI 增强，但这种效应与家族吸烟无关。
这些数据表明，PPI 范式可能可作为导致吸烟风险的认知过程的内表型。
