title: Smoking cue reactivity in schizophrenia: effects of a nicotinic receptor antagonist.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Rates of cigarette smoking in schizophrenia are higher than in the general population. To investigate differences in sensitivity to smoking cues between schizophrenia and control subjects, we compared smoking cue reactivity (CR) in schizophrenia versus control smokers with and without pretreatment with the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) antagonist mecamylamine (MEC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Smoking CR in schizophrenia (n = 22) and nonpsychiatric control (n = 20) smokers was determined using exposure to smoking pictures. Three doses of MEC (0, 5, and 10 mg/day) were administered during the 3 test weeks to determine the role of nAChRs in mediating the smoking CR response.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eleven of 22 (50%) schizophrenia and 10 of 20 (50%) control smokers displayed smoking CR. Smoking CR was not significantly different between schizophrenia and control smokers in the placebo (0 mg/day) condition. However, MEC pretreatment produced a dose-dependent reduction of CR in schizophrenia smokers compared with placebo. There was no significant effect of MEC on CR in control smokers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest that blockade of CR by MEC may be more robust in schizophrenia versus control smokers, possibly due to reduced nAChR levels in the brains of patients with schizophrenia.
authors.affiliation: Program for Research in Smokers with Mental Illness (PRISM), Connecticut Mental Health Center, and Division of Substance Abuse, Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut 06519, USA.
authors.forename: Margaret A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Fonder
authors.forename: Kristi A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Sacco
authors.forename: Angelo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Termine
authors.forename: Brigid S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Boland
authors.forename: Aisha A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Seyal
authors.forename: Melissa M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Dudas
authors.forename: Jennifer C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Vessicchio
authors.forename: Tony P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: George
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003463:Cues; D003710:Demography; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008464:Mecamylamine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008875:Middle Aged; D018733:Nicotinic Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012559:Schizophrenia / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D012907:Smoking / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000523:psychology*; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D018733:Nicotinic Antagonists; D008464:Mecamylamine