Modulation of cue reactivity by BEGIN and END stimuli of the smoking ritual.

Contact Person:

• Dr. Markus Winkler
• Prof. Dr. Paul Pauli

Description:

Drug-associated stimuli are often understood simply as excitatory conditioned stimuli that result from a close overlap with the drug effect. Stimuli from the final phase of the smoking ritual (END stimuli) are thought to be better paired with the blood nicotine peak than stimuli from the beginning of the smoking ritual (BEGIN stimuli). However, several studies indicate that END stimuli are likely to be poor cues to smoking. Our own research with imagery stimuli consistently showed that END stimuli elicited a lower desire (craving) to smoke and less positive affect than BEGIN stimuli. Differential effects of both stimuli were also evident in affect modulation of the startle response, attentional bias scores, and neural activity patterns. Manipulations of perceived availability to smoke and other features of END stimuli suggest that reactivity elicited by END stimuli reflects their predictive value in terms of drug availability, which may be reflected in modulation of excitatory or inhibitory processes. In this project, we investigate the differential effects of BEGIN and END stimuli and underlying mechanisms using biobehavioral methods. Because the smoking ritual involves a variety of stimuli with likely different functional significance, a better understanding of how these stimuli interact may be relevant to control and cessation of drug use.

Photo by Mathew MacQuarrie on Unsplash