title: Autonomic cued reactivity in alcoholics: the effect of olfactory stimuli.
abstract: The present study was designed to investigate autonomic cued reactivity to olfactory alcohol stimuli in alcoholics. Twenty outpatient alcoholics and 20 social drinkers were exposed to high- and low-potency alcohol and neutral odors. The alcoholics showed greater skin conductance responses and increased heart rate acceleration responses to the high-potency alcohol odor than social drinkers, while there was no difference between the groups' responses to the low-potency alcohol odor. Alcoholics also reported greater difficulties in resisting a potential offer for a drink after relative to before the experiment, while there was no change in the desire to drink. The results indicate that alcohol cues are perceived as emotionally aversive and elicit a defensive response to avoid further processing of these stimuli. The increased autonomic reactivity may thus reflect a shift of focus from the environmental alcohol cues to internal thoughts and feelings. A rigid internal focus may constrain the ability to resist alcohol consumption and thus be a critical determinant in promoting craving and relapse in alcoholics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological and Medical Psychology, University of Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Stormark
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Laberg
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bjerland
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nordby
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hugdahl
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000523:psychology*; D006339:Heart Rate; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012903:Smell