Selective attention to smoking cues in former smokers

Repeated drug use modifies the emotional and cognitive processing of drug-associated cues. These changes are supposed to persist even after prolonged abstinence. Several studies demonstrated that smoking cues selectively attract the attention of smokers, but empirical evidence for such an attentional bias among successful quitters is inconclusive. Here, we investigated whether attentional biases persist after smoking cessation. Thirty-eight former smokers, 34 current smokers, and 29 non-smokers participated in a single experimental session.

Source: European Neuropsychopharmacology - January 19, 2018 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Anne K. Rehme, Katharina Bey, Ingo Frommann, Karin Mogg, Brendan P. Bradley, Julia Bludau, Verena Block, Birgitta Str äter, Christian G. Schütz, Michael Wagner Source Type: research