title: Gender and activation level in smokers.
abstract: Studies on the enhancing effects of nicotine on performance are usually pharmacological challenges using deprived male smokers. However, gender may be a factor that influences nicotine/smoking effects upon information processing. We investigated gender differences in contingent negative variation (CNV) amplitude in non-deprived dependent smokers performing a go-no go reaction time paradigm. Female smokers did not differ from female non-smokers in both early and late CNV, whereas male smokers presented greater early and late CNV compared to male non-smokers and an alteration in inhibiting processes responsible for CNV development in the no go condition. Consistent with the evidence of gender differences in nicotine/smoking sensitivity, these preliminary results emphasize the need for taking into account gender in psychophysiological research of nicotine/smoking effects.
authors.affiliation: CNRS UMR 7593, Pavillon Clérambault, Hôpital de la Salpêtrière, 47, Bd. de l'Hôpital, 75013, Paris, France.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Daurignac
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Perez-Diaz
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Grillon
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jouvent
mesh_terms: D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000502:physiology*; D003071:Cognition / Q000502:physiology; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D012737:Sex Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000523:psychology*