Salivary cotinine levels in human tobacco smokers predict the attentional validity effect size during smoking abstinence.
BACKGROUND
The link between attention and brain cholinergic neurotransmission is widely accepted. Human chronic tobacco smokers maintain high levels of nicotine in plasma and body tissues and show enhanced attentional orienting and other attentional tasks.


OBJECTIVE
We wished to test whether abstinence from smoking caused levels of the nicotine metabolite cotinine to decline and attentional enhancement to be reduced in a correlated manner.


METHODS
The levels of salivary cotinine and behavioral performance on a cued target detection task were measured in chronic, adult tobacco smokers over a 5-day abstinence period. Control groups assessed over the same time period include non-smokers, smokers that did not abstain from tobacco, and smokers that abstained for 4 days and smoked on the last day.


RESULTS
In all groups with tobacco exposure, the levels of cotinine declined steadily with time after abstinence, reaching near zero levels at day 5. During this period, reaction times declined as well for all groups, due in part to task practice effects. In contrast, the validity effect, which indexes attentional allocation, increased with abstinence and was inversely related to cotinine levels in groups exposed to tobacco.


CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that 1) nicotine abstinence increases the attentional validity effect, and 2) this increase is indexed by salivary cotinine, and 3) that control levels of attentional performance are achieved after 3-4 days of tobacco abstinence.
Shirtcliff
Elizabeth A
EA
Institute of Neuroscience, 1254 University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1254, USA.
Marrocco
Richard T
RT
D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention; D003367:Cotinine / Q000032:analysis*; D003463:Cues; D005133:Eye Movements / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007202:Indicators and Reagents / Q000032:analysis; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D011930:Reaction Time; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012463:Saliva / Q000737:chemistry*; D012472:Salivation; D012907:Smoking / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016540:Smoking Cessation; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000503:physiopathology; D014026:Nicotiana
D007202:Indicators and Reagents; D003367:Cotinine