Substance use, trait measures, and subjective response to nicotine in never-smokers stratified on parental smoking history and sex.
BACKGROUND
Male and female never-smokers stratified on parental history of smoking were tested for possible differences in susceptibility to the hedonic effects of nicotine.


METHODS
We recruited nicotine-exposed never-smokers with two never-smoking biological parents (PH-) or two ever-smoking biological parents (PH+). After completing a baseline assessment battery focusing on conditions or behaviors associated with smoking, participants were tested for subjective and hedonic effects in response to administration of three different nicotine doses (0.0, 0.5, and 1.0 mg) via nasal spray. Physiological and biochemical reactivity also was monitored.


RESULTS
PH+ were significantly more likely to report having experienced a "buzz" upon early smoking experimentation and to have histories of alcohol abuse and alcoholism; they also scored higher on disordered eating. In response to nicotine dosing, PH+ reported an increase in depressed mood, compared with a minimal response in PH-, in keeping with our expectation that nicotine would have more pronounced effects in PH+. Regardless of parental history, women reported experiencing greater anxiety in response to the highest nicotine dose, compared with men.


CONCLUSIONS
Further exploration in larger samples, using more stringent selection criteria, a wider range of measures, and a less aversive dosing method, may provide a full test of the possible utility of the parental history model for illuminating biobehavioral mechanisms underlying response to nicotine. Also important would be broadening the scope of inquiry to include comparisons with ever-smokers to determine what protected PH+ from becoming smokers, despite the presence of factors that might be expected to decrease resilience and increase susceptibility.
Pomerleau
Ovide F
OF
Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Medical School, Rachel Upjohn Building, Room 2137, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, USA. ofpom@umich.edu
Pomerleau
Cynthia S
CS
Snedecor
Sandy M
SM
Finkenauer
Raphaela
R
Mehringer
Ann M
AM
Langenecker
Scott A
SA
Sirevaag
Erik J
EJ
D000281:Administration, Intranasal; D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect / Q000187:drug effects; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009538:Nicotine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists / Q000008:administration & dosage; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012907:Smoking / Q000523:psychology*; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
D018722:Nicotinic Agonists; D009538:Nicotine