Lo. Bauer et Ae. Mott, DIFFERENTIAL-EFFECTS OF COCAINE, ALCOHOL, AND NICOTINE DEPENDENCE ON OLFACTORY EVOKED-POTENTIALS, Drug and alcohol dependence, 42(1), 1996, pp. 21-26
Olfactory evoked potentials (OEP) were elicited by odorous and nonodor
ous stimuli in 50 adult subjects: 26 subjects with histories of either
cocaine (n = 19) or alcohol (n = 7) dependence, 10 with histories of
nicotine but no other drug dependence, 2 with clinical anosmia of peri
pheral origin, and 12 subjects without drug or olfactory disorders. Th
e presentation of nonodorous stimuli (i.e. a nasal air puff) did not e
licit OEP component amplitude and latency differences among the groups
. However, the presentation of odorous stimuli elicited a significantl
y smaller pi component in the cocaine-dependent and alcohol-dependent
groups than in the normal control and nicotine-dependent groups. The P
1 amplitude deficit in the cocaine-dependent group is consistent with
case report data associating cocaine use with lesions of the periphera
l and/or central olfactory apparatus.