Brain Marker Links Stress and Nicotine Abstinence. Issue 6 (22nd May 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Allenby, Cheyenne; Falcone, Mary; Ashare, Rebecca L; Cao, Wen; Bernardo, Leah; Wileyto, E Paul; Pruessner, Jens; Loughead, James; Lerman, Caryn
• Is Part Of: Nicotine & tobacco research. Volume 22:Issue 6(2020)
• Page Start: 885
• Page End: 891
• Publication Date: 2019-05-22
• Subjects: Nicotine -- Periodicals; Tobacco -- Research -- Periodicals; Tobacco habit -- Periodicals; Nicotine -- Periodicals; Tobacco -- Periodicals; Smoking -- Periodicals; 613.85
• DOI: 10.1093/ntr/ntz077
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1462-2203

Abstract

Abstract: Background: Subjective stress is a well-documented predictor of early smoking relapse, yet our understanding of stress and tobacco use is limited by reliance on self-reported measures of stress. We utilized a validated functional neuroimaging paradigm to examine whether stress exposure during early abstinence alters objective measures of brain function. Methods: Seventy-five participants underwent blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during the Montreal Imaging Stress Task (MIST) on two occasions: once during smoking satiety and once following biochemically confirmed 24-hour abstinence (order counterbalanced). The primary outcome measure was brain response during stress (vs. control) blocks of the MIST, assessed using whole-brain analysis corrected for multiple comparisons using clusters determined by Z ≥ 3.1. Results: Abstinence (vs. satiety) was associated with significantly increased activation in the left inferior frontal gyrus, a brain region associated with inhibitory control. Abstinence-induced change in brain response to stress was positively associated with change in self-reported stress. Conclusions: This study provides objective evidence that the brain response to stress is altered during the first 24 hours of a quit attempt compared to smoking satiety. Implications: These results point to the potential value of inoculating smokers with stress management training prior to a quit attempt.