title: Breakdowns of eye movement control toward smoking cues in young adult light smokers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Many studies suggest that dependent smokers have a preference or attentional bias toward smoking cues. The purpose of this study was to test the ability of infrequent non-dependent light smokers to control their eye movements by look away from smoking cues. Poor control in the lightest of smokers would suggest nicotine cue-elicited behavior occurring even prior to nicotine dependency as measured by daily smoking.
  
  
  METHODS
  17 infrequent non-dependent light smokers and 17 lifetime non-smokers performed an antisaccade task (look away from suddenly appearing cue) on smoking, alcohol, neutral, and dot cues.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The light smokers, who were confirmed light smokers and non-dependent (MFaegerström Dependency Score=0.35), were significantly worse at controlling their eye movements to smoking cues relative to both neutral cues (p<.04) and alcohol cues (p<.02). Light smokers made significantly more errors to smoking cues than non-smokers (p<.004).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data suggest that prior to developing clinical symptoms of severe dependence or progressing to heavier smoking (e.g., daily smoking), the lightest of smokers are showing a specific deficit in control of nicotine cue-elicited behavior.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, College of the Holy Cross, United States; Division of Addiction, University of Massachusetts Medical School, United States. Electronic address: gdigirol@holycross.edu.
authors.forename: Gregory J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: DiGirolamo
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, College of the Holy Cross, United States.
authors.forename: Ellen J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Sophis
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, College of the Holy Cross, United States.
authors.forename: Jennifer L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Daffron
authors.affiliation: Division of Addiction, University of Massachusetts Medical School, United States.
authors.forename: Gerardo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gonzalez
authors.affiliation: Division of Addiction, University of Massachusetts Medical School, United States; MAYU of New England, United States.
authors.forename: Mauricio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Romero-Gonzalez
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, College of the Holy Cross, United States.
authors.forename: Sean A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Gillespie
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention; D003463:Cues; D005133:Eye Movements; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012907:Smoking / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Antisaccade; Control; Light smokers; Nicotine; Smoking; Young adults