The focus of this proposal is to provide the applicant with the skills, experience, and mentoring to become an independent researcher with a focus on understanding the neurobehavioral determinants of nicotine dependence. The training plan outlined in this proposal will allow me to expand my skills by providing an opportunity to become proficient in the use of event-related potential (ERP) electroencephalography (EEC) techniques to study attentional and emotional mechanisms related to nicotine dependence. This work will be conducted at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, where I will be mentored by distinguished scientists in the field of nicotine dependence. This multidisciplinary team will provide oversight of my research and training experiences by providing specific expertise in the areas of neurobehavior, ERP, attentional biases, and gender differences of smoking. The focus of the Research Plan is to gain a greater understanding of the attentional biases of smokers in order to expand our knowledge of how drug and affective cues help to maintain neural sensitization to drugs of abuse. The proposed study would be the first to evaluate the attentional bias of smokers using a within-subjects balanced placebo design, allowing for the separation of the effects of nicotine from the effects of smoking cues on ERP attentional response to smoking and affective cues.
The specific aims of this proposal are (a) to distinguish the effects of nicotine's pharmacological properties from those resulting from learned associations on the attentional distraction by smoking and affective cues in dependent smokers, (b) to determine whether gender differences exist in the attentional distraction by smoking and affective cues, (c) to determine whether the expectation of imminent tobacco use increases the attentional distraction by smoking and affective cues, and (d) to assess whether ERP measures of attentional distraction by smoking and affective cues correlate with traditional self-reported measures of nicotine dependence, craving, and affect.

Public Health Relevance

Smoking dependence is thought to be maintained by the brain's attentional bias towards cues in the environment that remind the dependent invidual of smoking. This study will use event-related potential (ERP) EEG technology to investigate these attentional biases and circumstances that provoke them.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)
Type
Mentored Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award (K23)
Project #
5K23DA024697-04
Application #
8082786
Study Section
Human Development Research Subcommittee (NIDA)
Program Officer
Kautz, Mary A
Project Start
2008-08-15
Project End
2013-05-31
Budget Start
2011-06-01
Budget End
2012-05-31
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
2011
Total Cost
$178,416
Indirect Cost
Name
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Department
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
800772139
City
Houston
State
TX
Country
United States
Zip Code
77030
Robinson, Jason D; Versace, Francesco; Engelmann, Jeffery M et al. (2016) Attentional bias to smoking and other motivationally relevant cues is affected by nicotine exposure and dose expectancy. J Psychopharmacol 30:627-40
Karam-Hage, Maher; Robinson, Jason D; Lodhi, Ashutosh et al. (2014) Bupropion-SR for smoking reduction and cessation in alcohol-dependent outpatients: a naturalistic, open-label study. Curr Clin Pharmacol 9:123-9
Robinson, Jason D; Engelmann, Jeffery M; Cui, Yong et al. (2014) The effects of nicotine dose expectancy and motivationally relevant distracters on vigilance. Psychol Addict Behav 28:752-60
Cui, Yong; Versace, Francesco; Engelmann, Jeffrey M et al. (2013) Alpha oscillations in response to affective and cigarette-related stimuli in smokers. Nicotine Tob Res 15:917-24
Robinson, Jason D; Lam, Cho Y; Carter, Brian L et al. (2012) Negative reinforcement smoking outcome expectancies are associated with affective response to acute nicotine administration and abstinence. Drug Alcohol Depend 120:196-201
Robinson, Jason D; Lam, Cho Y; Carter, Brian L et al. (2011) A multimodal approach to assessing the impact of nicotine dependence, nicotine abstinence, and craving on negative affect in smokers. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol 19:40-52