title: Effects of nicotine on emotional distraction of attentional orienting: evidence of possible moderation by dopamine type 2 receptor genotype.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Growing evidence suggests that attentional bias to, and distraction by, emotional stimuli may moderate affective states and motivation for nicotine and other drug use.
  
  
  METHODS
  The present study assessed the effects of nicotine and dopamine receptor genotype on distraction by emotional pictures, during a modified spatial attention task, in 46 overnight-deprived smokers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Relative to placebo, 14mg nicotine patch produced shorter overall reaction times (RTs) and individuals with two dopamine type 2 receptor (DRD2) A2 alleles exhibited the greatest RT benefit from nicotine following emotionally negative pictures after the longest cue-target delay (800ms), but benefitted least from nicotine following positive pictures after the shortest delay (400ms). In contrast, at the shortest delay, A1 carriers did not benefit from nicotine following emotionally negative pictures but did following positive ones.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These genetic differences in the effects of nicotine on attention immediately following emotionally positive versus negative stimuli may reflect differential excitatory and inhibitory transmitter processes related to approach (reward) and avoidance (punishment) sensitivities of dopamine-related neural networks that support positive and negative affect.
authors.affiliation: Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, Department of Psychology, Carbondale, IL, 62901-6502, USA. jj-hammersley@wiu.edu
authors.forename: Jonathan J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Hammersley
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rzetelny
authors.forename: David G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Gilbert
authors.forename: Norka E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Rabinovich
authors.forename: Stacey L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Small
authors.forename: Jodi I
authors.initials: JI
authors.lastname: Huggenvik
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention / Q000187:drug effects*; D004644:Emotions / Q000187:drug effects*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009538:Nicotine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2 / Q000235:genetics*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2; D009538:Nicotine