It is commonly assumed that craving reflects the motivational state that causes ongoing drug-use behavior in the addict and triggers all instances of relapse. Consequently, efforts to understand and treat addictive behavior would be benefitted considerably by systematic investigations of craving. The overall objective of this research is to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of craving processes activated under laboratory conditions. Most laboratory-based studies of craving involve some form of cue-reactivity procedures, which assess addict's craving and autonomic responses when they are presented with drug-related stimuli. The full potential of these procedures is often limited by certain methodological shortcomings, and several longstanding questions of critical importance to the cue-reactivity paradigm have not been investigated. The research described in this application will provide for the development of Cue- Availability Paradigm, an innovative procedure that addresses the methodological limitations of conventional cue-reactivity procedures. Reactivity measures collected in this paradigm include assessments of craving, mood, autonomic responses, drug seeking, drug consumption and cognitive processing. Four studies are proposes that will use the Cue-Availability Paradigm to address major questions about craving that have not been systematically evaluated. Study 1 will explore the impact of actual and anticipated cigarette availability on smokers' reactions to smoking stimuli. Study 2 will determine the impact of cigarette availability on reactivity measures. Study 3 will identify the profile of reactivity variables predictive of a smoker's ability to remain abstinent from cigarettes. Study 4 will evaluate the extent to which craving and other reactions generated by the Cue- Availability Paradigm are associated with a smoker's level of smoking experience. These proposed studies will establish sophisticated and innovative procedures and assessments for addressing issues of fundamental methodological, theoretical and clinical importance in scientific studies of craving.
| Bailey, Steffani R; Goedeker, Katherine C; Tiffany, Stephen T (2010) The impact of cigarette deprivation and cigarette availability on cue-reactivity in smokers. Addiction 105:364-72 |
| Carter, B L; Tiffany, S T (2001) The cue-availability paradigm: the effects of cigarette availability on cue reactivity in smokers. Exp Clin Psychopharmacol 9:183-90 |
| Tiffany, S T; Cox, L S; Elash, C A (2000) Effects of transdermal nicotine patches on abstinence-induced and cue-elicited craving in cigarette smokers. J Consult Clin Psychol 68:233-40 |
