Author links open overlay panel, , , , ,
Under a Creative Commons license
open access
Highlights
- •
Smokeless tobacco acceptability depends on the level of nicotine.
- •
Nicotine levels relate to subjective reduction in tobacco craving.
- •
Event-related oscillations indicate that nicotine reduces effects of nicotine withdrawal.
- •
Nicotine abstinence alters brain's general state of preparedness.
- •
High levels, but not low levels, bring the brain to baseline activity levels.
Abstract
Understanding the role nicotine plays in initiating and sustaining addiction has been of interest for the scientific community and general population, with the idea that low levels of nicotine will reduce abuse liability associated with smokeless tobacco products. Previously, research has relied on subjective assessments to determine consumer acceptability, but these measures cannot provide a characterization of the physiological responses associated with nicotine use. Consumer acceptability arises from psychological and neurophysiological factors, thus establishing the need to use subjective and objective measurements in conjunction. This study provides a comprehensive characterization of the subjective and objective effects of smokeless tobacco product use with varying levels of nicotine. EEG data were recorded before and after the use of four different smokeless tobacco products and one control product over five separate visits, with participants arriving to each visit after 12 h of tobacco abstinence. These products have distinct consumer acceptability levels and patterns of use characteristics ranging from starter products to those used primarily by established users. Subjective results showed that smokeless tobacco products with higher levels of nicotine were more successful in reducing craving and more reinforcing than those with lower levels. These results were concordant with the activity present in the EEG recordings where products with high nicotine levels produced larger changes in the amplitude of the event-related signal than those with low levels. This study is fundamental in understanding the relationship between subjective and objective smokeless tobacco acceptability measurements, as mediated by the different levels of nicotine in each product.
Cited by (0)
- 1
Authors contributed equally.
© 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.