title: [Research into the electrophysiological effects of nicotine and their interpretation as arousal or sedation mechanisms (author's transl)].
abstract: The effect of nicotine on the nervous system during rapid smoking of two calibrated cigarettes was measured in twenty subjects: light, medium, heavy and non-smokers, across the changes of a number of electrophysiological variables and in different situations. Although some systems are consistently activated: with rapid EEG rhythms and EDG, others depending upon sub-grouping are activated or, conversely, are depressed or sedated (alpha and theta rhythm enhancement), the passive situations selected being opposed to the active situations. Attempts to explain this phenomenon seem to be dependent on the hypothesis that combination of environmental constraints and certain personalities or constitutions leads smokers who implicitly seek a sedative effect in smoking to administer themselves with a relatively low dose of nicotine by virtue of the varied modulations in their manner of smoking: the effective volume of puffs and the interval between puffs, whilst those who wish to stimulate themselves or arouse their cerebral cortex automatically take a considerably higher dose.
mesh_terms: D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004594:Electrophysiology; D006801:Humans; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D009538:Nicotine / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D009538:Nicotine
vernacular_title: Recherche sur les effets électrophysiologiques de la nicotine et sur leur interprétation en termes d'éveil et de sédation.