The laboratory's efforts were directed toward the quantification of the cognitive and performance deficits during nicotine withdrawal and the treatment of these deficits with nicotine chewing gum. The EEG, cognitive, and cognitive process was monitored during a ten-day period of tobacco withdrawal in heavy smokers. Some of the changes persisted over the entire ten-day deprivation period. These measures included EEG alpha frequency, theta power, performance on selected cognitive tasks (especially a rapid arithmetic task) and a cognitive event related potential measure (N100 amplitude). Stimulus evaluation time, as measured by P300 latency, and the depth of stimulus evaluation battery were affected early during the tobacco deprivation period, but returned to smoking levels later during the deprivation period. Thus, the cognitive deficits are clearly apparent during abstinence from tobacco and contribute to relapse during treatment. The deficits during withdrawal have at least two different components - one affecting stimulus evaluation which dissipates after 5 to 7 days of abstinence and one affecting attention accompanied by lower arousal which persists ten days or longer. During the year this data was analyzed and two papes were submitted for publication.
