Smoking cue reactivity in schizophrenia: effects of a nicotinic receptor antagonist.
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.
Fonder
Margaret A
MA
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.
Sacco
Kristi A
KA
Termine
Angelo
A
Boland
Brigid S
BS
Seyal
Aisha A
AA
Dudas
Melissa M
MM
Vessicchio
Jennifer C
JC
George
Tony P
TP
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
D018733:Nicotinic Antagonists; D008464:Mecamylamine