Galantamine attenuates some of the subjective effects of intravenous nicotine and improves performance on a Go No-Go task in abstinent cigarette smokers: a preliminary report.
BACKGROUND
Galantamine (GAL), a reversible and competitive inhibitor of acetylcholinesterase, is used clinically in the treatment of Alzheimer's dementia. Some preclinical and clinical studies support the potential efficacy of cholinesterase inhibitors for smoking cessation, although their effects on the behavioral and physiological responses to nicotine have not been examined. The goal of this study was to characterize GAL's actions on multiple outcomes, including withdrawal severity and cognitive performance, as well as subjective and physiological responses to nicotine administered intravenously.


METHODS
A total of 12 smokers participated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study. Smokers had two 4-day treatment periods, assigned in random sequence, to GAL (8 mg/day) or placebo treatment. On day 4 of each treatment phase, smokers had an experimental session in which they received an intravenous (IV) dose of saline or 1 mg/70 kg nicotine, 1 h apart, in a random order.


RESULTS
GAL attenuated the self-reported rating of "craving for cigarettes" and prevented decrements in performance in a Go/No-Go task. In response to IV nicotine, GAL treatment attenuated the self-report ratings of "like the drug effects," "good drug effects," "bad drug effects," and "stimulated."


CONCLUSIONS
These findings support the potential utility of GAL as a treatment for smoking cessation.
School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, VA Connecticut Healthcare System, Yale University, 950 Campbell Ave, Bldg 36/116A4, West Haven, CT, USA. mehmet.sofuoglu@yale.edu
Mehmet
M
Sofuoglu
Aryeh I
AI
Herman
Yisheng
Y
Li
Andrew J
AJ
Waters
D016739:Behavior, Addictive / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003071:Cognition / Q000187:drug effects*; D003237:Connecticut; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D005702:Galantamine / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009538:Nicotine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012907:Smoking / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000379:methods*; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D013997:Time Factors; D014029:Tobacco Use Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology
D002800:Cholinesterase Inhibitors; D018722:Nicotinic Agonists; D005702:Galantamine; D009538:Nicotine