Effects of Nicotine on Emotional Reactivity in PTSD and Non-PTSD Smokers: Results of a Pilot fMRI Study.
There is evidence that individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may smoke in part to regulate negative affect. This pilot fMRI study examined the effects of nicotine on emotional information processing in smokers with and without PTSD. Across groups, nicotine increased brain activation in response to fearful/angry faces (compared to neutral faces) in ventral caudate. Patch x Group interactions were observed in brain regions involved in emotional and facial feature processing. These preliminary findings suggest that nicotine differentially modulates negative information processing in PTSD and non-PTSD smokers.
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
Brett
B
Froeliger
Jean
J
Crowell Beckham
Michelle
M
Feldman Dennis
Rachel
R
Victoria Kozink
Francis
F
Joseph McClernon