Olanzapine attenuates cue-elicited craving for tobacco.
BACKGROUND
Recent biological conceptualizations of craving and addiction have implicated mesolimbic dopamine activity as a central feature of the process of addiction. Imaging, and pharmacological studies have supported a role for dopaminergic structures in cue-elicited craving for tobacco.


OBJECTIVE
If mesolimbic dopamine activity is associated with cue-elicited craving for tobacco, a dopamine antagonist should attenuate cue-elicited craving for tobacco. Thus, the aim of the present study was to determine whether an atypical antipsychotic (olanzapine, 5 mg) decreased cue-elicited craving for tobacco.


METHODS
Participants were randomly assigned to 5 days of pretreatment with olanzapine (5 mg; n=31) or were randomly assigned to 5 days of a matching placebo (n=28). Approximately 8 h after the last dose, participants were exposed to a control cue (pencil) followed by exposure to smoking cues. Participants subsequently smoked either nicotine cigarettes or de-nicotinized cigarettes.


RESULTS
Olanzapine attenuated cue-elicited craving for tobacco but did not moderate the subjective effects of smoking.


CONCLUSIONS
This study represents one of the first investigations of the effect of atypical antipsychotics on cue-elicited craving for tobacco. The results suggest that medications with similar profiles may reduce cue-elicited craving, which in turn, may partially explain recent observations that atypical antipsychotics may reduce substance use.
Hutchison
Kent E
KE
Department of Psychology, University of Colorado, Campus Box 345, Boulder, CO, 80309-0345, USA. kenth@psych.colorado.edu
Rutter
Marie-Christine
MC
Niaura
Raymond
R
Swift
Robert M
RM
Pickworth
Wallace B
WB
Sobik
Laura
L
D000328:Adult; D014150:Antipsychotic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001569:Benzodiazepines / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002248:Carbon Monoxide / Q000378:metabolism; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D003463:Cues; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D008297:Male; D000077152:Olanzapine; D012907:Smoking / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D014150:Antipsychotic Agents; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D001569:Benzodiazepines; D002248:Carbon Monoxide; D000077152:Olanzapine